Brain Food

Ancient boats, obliterating viruses and cleaning air with UV light, a magic ant that gives birth to two species, Fukuyama redux, the next big volcano, The Perfect Neighbor, and a must-listen podcast.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1835-36, Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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The world is a fascinating place, but I can’t devote a 3,000 word essay to every fascinating idea, so in this edition of Brain Food, we’ll explore several fascinating ideas in slightly smaller chunks instead:

• Research on how ancient hominins took to the sea (in seemingly implausible ways that may redefine our understanding of human history);

• Why Francis Fukuyama has settled on a single explanation for surging authoritarian populism and the resurgence of history;

• How an ant can give birth to two different species at the same time;

• How airborne disease—including covid and tuberculosis—could eventually become a thing of the past with the right lights;

• Why we might be oblivious to the next major volcanic eruption, on a scale that’s difficult to imagine;

• A new Netflix documentary worth watching and a cracking podcast recommendation that you should listen to immediately.