Tag Archives: cultural evolution

Post-Doctoral Position on Cultural Adaptation in Forest Management

The University of Maine seeks a post-doctoral researcher for a two-year project on human cultural adaptation in forest management, requiring a strong quantitative background and experience in modeling. Continue reading

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In defense of Octavia Butler’s Earthseed Destiny

If you’ve read Octavia Butler’s books the Parable of the Sower and the Parable of the Talents then you know what Earthseed is, and what the “Destiny” idea is. The protagonist lays it out: the “Destiny of Earthseed is [for … Continue reading

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Interview on human evolution in the Anthropocene on Serious Inquiries Only podcast

I was interviewed on the Serious Inquiries Only podcast with Thomas Smith, discussing our recent work on human evolution in the Anthropocene. Listen to the podcast here, and read the open access paper, available for free. Continue reading

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Growing an applied science of cultural evolution for a sustainable future

Last week, Dr. Tim Waring helped lead an international workshop on growing an applied science of cultural evolution for a sustainable future. The workshop was the culminating event of an applied working group project, funded by the Cultural Evolution Society … Continue reading

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Cultural Adaptation to Climate Change in US Agriculture

We investigated “cultural adaptation to climate change”: a learnable behavior that spreads due to its benefits in a new environmental context. We explored two aspects of US agriculture: cover cropping and crop choice. Cover cropping showed evidence of adaptation to new economic conditions but not climatic. But changes in farmers’ crop choices tend to match changes in climate, providing the first evidence of cultural adaptation to climate change. The findings can help improve climate adaptation research and policy by distinguishing the process of adaptation from desirable outcomes or policy targets. Continue reading

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