The hottest Evolution Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

The origins of power dynamics, or why chimps can't play baseball

The Garden of Forking Paths β€’ 2122 implied HN points β€’ 05 Jul 23
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution
  1. Humans can throw objects accurately and at high speeds, shaping our modern power dynamics in society.
  2. Our unique shoulder adaptations allow for precise and fast throwing, giving us a competitive advantage over other species.
  3. The ability to use ranged weapons and throw projectiles from a distance has influenced human social structures and power dynamics.

RKUL: Time Well Spent, 11/27/2025

Razib Khan's Unsupervised Learning β€’ 234 implied HN points β€’ 28 Nov 25
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution
  1. Your time is valuable, so it's better to spend it on meaningful activities instead of wasting it online. Books and knowledge can greatly enrich your life.
  2. James Watson made significant contributions to understanding DNA, and his book 'The Double Helix' gives a unique insight into this scientific journey. It's a great read for anyone interested in genetics.
  3. E. O. Wilson and W. D. Hamilton had different approaches to biology, but both made important discoveries. Their works show the evolution of thought in the field of genetics and how science can help us understand life better.

Happiness Is Bullshit

Everything Is Bullshit β€’ 2004 implied HN points β€’ 14 Mar 23
πŸ“– Philosophy Evolution
  1. The pursuit of happiness is not as central to human behavior as commonly believed.
  2. Our actions are often driven by evolutionary instincts like survival, dominance, and social behaviors.
  3. Happiness is a result of prediction errors in our brains and is not necessarily something we actively seek.

In cosmology, all our errors lean the same way. The implications are... interesting

The Egg And The Rock β€’ 1650 implied HN points β€’ 09 May 23
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution
  1. In cosmology, our errors consistently lead us to underestimate the size and complexity of the universe.
  2. A major flaw in our approach may stem from an unexamined assumption underlying our theories.
  3. Shifting from a universe-as-rock paradigm to a universe-as-egg paradigm may help us better understand the universe's complexity.
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Hyper-Darwinian Wars

Holodoxa β€’ 259 implied HN points β€’ 28 May 24
πŸ₯ Health & Wellness Evolution
  1. Cancer is genetic in origin, making treatment a relentless struggle against a protean foe with evolutionary possibilities.
  2. Precision treatment options are emerging as complements or alternatives to traditional cancer treatments, offering hope in the battle against cancer evolution.
  3. The challenges of drug resistance, tumor heterogeneity, cancer stem cells, and the tumor microenvironment highlight the complexity of cancer and underscore the need for innovative, targeted treatment strategies.

Learning about longevity from long-lived animals

The Works in Progress Newsletter β€’ 30 implied HN points β€’ 10 Feb 26
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution
  1. Long-lived animals use different tricks β€” extreme regeneration, strong DNA repair and cancer defenses, and very slow metabolisms β€” any of which could teach us about aging.
  2. Humans already have some longevity advantages like big brains, long childhoods, social roles, and certain cancer-fighting adaptations, but these traits come with evolutionary tradeoffs.
  3. We can extend life by treating specific diseases or by targeting fundamental aging (telomeres, DNA repair, metabolism); promising approaches include telomerase work, mTOR inhibitors, diabetes drugs, and caloric restriction, but they carry risks like cancer and other tradeoffs.

The Goldilocks zone between inbreeding and outbreeding

ideassleepfuriously β€’ 884 implied HN points β€’ 10 Jan 24
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution
  1. The risk of producing abnormal embryos is highest in siblings, lower in first cousins, and lowest in third or fourth cousins.
  2. Inbreeding can lead to shared defective alleles and recessive disorders, causing inbreeding depression.
  3. Outbreeding can lead to genetic incompatibilities and higher rates of miscarriage, causing outbreeding depression.

Debunking Pseudoscience: β€˜Multimodal Models of Animal Sex’

Reality's Last Stand β€’ 1434 implied HN points β€’ 06 Mar 23
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution
  1. The paper debunks the traditional binary model of biological sex by proposing a multimodal model.
  2. Current efforts in academia are influencing scientific research on sex by incorporating political motivations in the study.
  3. The study fails to provide evidence for more than two sexes and is criticized for misinterpreting sex differences in genetics, endocrinology, morphology, and behavior.

Bone Shard Collection #1

Living Fossils β€’ 12 implied HN points β€’ 18 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Evolution
  1. Satiation explains why people stop in the moment, but long-term motivation is shaped by expectations, positive feedback, and getting used to outcomes, so success often raises the bar instead of ending desire.
  2. Price not only buys measurable quality but also sets social expectations and norms, so paying more gives you both better service and greater standing to demand higher standards.
  3. Wisdom usually comes late because what is "wise" depends on context and changing tradeoffs, so evolution didn’t hardwire one perfect rule and people learn over time which rules fit different situations.

The First Humans in Europe

Grey Goose Chronicles β€’ 1257 implied HN points β€’ 23 Jul 23
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution
  1. Evidence suggests that the earliest human ancestors in Europe evolved in Europe before eventually moving to Africa.
  2. The arrival of different human species in Europe can be traced through archaeological findings and genetic studies.
  3. Neanderthals existed in Europe for a long time, and the arrival of modern humans led to significant changes and interactions.

The Smoke Detector Principle: The Evolutionary Advantage of Overreaction

Rob Henderson's Newsletter β€’ 1344 implied HN points β€’ 14 Jan 25
πŸ₯ Health & Wellness Evolution
  1. Anxiety is more common in wealthy countries, particularly among educated people with white-collar jobs. It seems to be a problem that affects many people today.
  2. Clinical depression rates have reached a new high, especially among young adults and college students. Understanding depression can be important since it greatly affects people's lives.
  3. Both anxiety and depression have seen significant increases over the past decade. It's crucial to discuss and learn more about these issues to find better ways to cope.

Your Fear of Mortality is Bullshit

Everything Is Bullshit β€’ 609 implied HN points β€’ 21 Dec 23
πŸ“– Philosophy Evolution
  1. Animals are likely aware of death and make life-or-death decisions, having some understanding of mortality.
  2. Fear of mortality is not an evolutionary advantage and may actually be a fear of aging and its consequences.
  3. Worrying evolved to help avoid concrete dangers, not abstract concepts like mortality.

Bird of the Week: Cowbirds

Discourse Blog β€’ 491 implied HN points β€’ 12 Jan 24
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution
  1. Cowbirds are devious birds that survive through deception and thievery
  2. Cowbirds practice brood parasitism, tricking other birds to raise their young
  3. Cowbirds almost drove the Kirtland's Warbler to extinction by parasitizing their nests

Lungs

Microanimism β€’ 139 implied HN points β€’ 24 May 24
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution
  1. Biological systems like lungs demonstrate asymmetry and imperfection, showcasing the complexity of biology over mathematical perfection.
  2. Microbial worlds in our lungs and in the atmosphere interact in complex ways, affecting our health and environment.
  3. The evolution and existence of lungs are deeply intertwined with microbial life, showcasing a long history of collaboration for the sustenance of life.

The Computational Case for Hypocrisy

Living Fossils β€’ 19 implied HN points β€’ 28 Jan 26
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution
  1. The mind is a bundle of older, unconscious drives that act first, and a later "press secretary" layer that explains or justifies those actions to others.
  2. Because core drives are deeply integrated and costly to change, evolution added a lightweight adapter (like LoRA in AI) to steer outputs without rewiring the base system.
  3. Hypocrisy is thus an efficient solution: layering explanations over raw impulses preserves survival functions while enabling social norms. AI models reveal this split by showing internal impulses versus the polished outputs.

An Investigation into Species HS01

Contemplations on the Tree of Woe β€’ 1108 implied HN points β€’ 20 Dec 24
🎭️ Culture Evolution
  1. Drones are being spotted in major U.S. cities, but there's a lot of confusion about their purpose. Some people think they could be military drones from other countries, while the government insists they are just civilian drones.
  2. A strange theory suggests that aliens are invading Earth, and they'll reveal themselves in 2025. This idea comes from a researcher studying our species, who claims aliens are worried about our civilization.
  3. The reproductive patterns of humans show a big divide. While some populations are rapidly growing, others are declining due to cultural and social changes that discourage having children.

Morality Is Not Nice

Everything Is Bullshit β€’ 746 implied HN points β€’ 12 Apr 23
πŸ“– Philosophy Evolution
  1. Morality often justifies bad behavior using noble excuses like 'justice' or 'what you deserve.'
  2. Morality evolved through competition, domination, and exploiting others for personal gain.
  3. Our moral progress as a society has been driven by the fear of mutually assured destruction and social mobilization.

But Seriously, Why The F*ck Do Giraffes Have Long Necks?

Insight Axis β€’ 612 implied HN points β€’ 12 Nov 23
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution
  1. Giraffes have long necks to better reach food on tall trees, increasing their chances of survival and passing on their genes.
  2. In the true story of giraffes' evolution, genes are the main characters that hold knowledge for survival in their environment.
  3. Humans, unlike giraffes, can create their own knowledge using their minds, allowing them to survive in diverse environments and even outer space.

The One Weird Trick That Gave Humans Language

The Ruffian β€’ 319 implied HN points β€’ 02 Aug 25
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution
  1. Humans have a special way of communicating that's different from other animals. Unlike apes, we have unique brain areas for language, like Broca's and Wernicke's areas, which help us produce and understand speech.
  2. Our ability to speak is not just about having a bigger brain. Instead, it includes inherited instincts like taking turns in conversations and sharing attention, which help us learn language from a young age.
  3. Language skills come from a combination of learned and instinctual behaviors. Children need social connections to develop language, just like baby birds learn to fly by trying and practicing with a supportive environment.

Kat Kitay: The Origin of Cyborgs

Do Not Research β€’ 499 implied HN points β€’ 11 Dec 23
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution
  1. Donna Haraway introduced the concept of 'cyborg' in 1985 as a response to the rising technological world order
  2. Human evolution has been driven by technological advancements since ancient times, shaping our species' survival and success
  3. The modern digital revolution is pushing us towards a new kind of evolution where gene-editing technologies and digital pressures play crucial roles

The Course of Empire

Cosmographia β€’ 658 implied HN points β€’ 15 Oct 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Evolution
  1. The Colosseum's grandeur cannot truly be appreciated until seen in person, highlighting the awe-inspiring nature of ancient structures
  2. Historical patterns suggest that great civilizations may eventually decline due to lowered moral standards, cynicism, and frivolity, prompting reflection on the lessons of the past for modern societies
  3. The Course of Empire art series by Thomas Cole illustrates the rise and fall of civilizations, offering a visual representation of the cyclical nature of human history

The Future of Travel Writing

Talking Travel Writing β€’ 648 implied HN points β€’ 03 Oct 23
🏝 Travel Evolution
  1. The future of travel writing involves a shift towards more diverse voices and a focus on sustainability and responsible travel.
  2. Guidebooks of the future will prioritize providing a human context to travel experiences that AI cannot offer.
  3. Travel writing is expected to see a resurgence, with an emphasis on self-reflection, diversity, and challenging traditional travel norms.

LSD and the Edge of Human Experience

What's Important? β€’ 83 implied HN points β€’ 22 Nov 25
πŸ“– Philosophy Evolution
  1. Dr. Bache had a lot of intense experiences with LSD, which led him to believe that the universe is a manifestation of a higher intelligence and that we are all connected to it.
  2. He suggests that reality is layered, and our journey involves letting go of our personal ego to reach greater understandings of oneness and collective consciousness.
  3. Bache thinks that exploring these deep ideas can transform our lives and help us understand that life has purpose, even beyond what we currently see.

We were selected: tracing what humans were made for

Razib Khan's Unsupervised Learning β€’ 783 implied HN points β€’ 30 Dec 24
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution
  1. Ancient DNA research has greatly improved our understanding of human evolution. Scientists can now study our genetic history and how humans have adapted over thousands of years.
  2. New techniques allow researchers to see how natural selection has shaped our traits, like skin color and immune response. This gives insight into why certain characteristics are more common in different populations.
  3. The findings show that our physical traits have changed over time due to varying environmental pressures and lifestyles. This helps explain how humans have managed to survive and thrive in diverse habitats.

COVID 2023 (part 1)

Logging the World β€’ 538 implied HN points β€’ 01 Jul 23
πŸ₯ Health & Wellness Evolution
  1. COVID numbers in 2023 are significantly lower than previous years, with restrictions lifted and admissions decreasing for months.
  2. 2023 has been relatively quiet in terms of new COVID variants, with no significant growth in headline variants, but the possibility of an evolution remains.
  3. While concerns about future COVID waves persist, it is suggested to enjoy the present moment and not overly worry about potential scenarios.

If langurs can drink seawater, can humans do so as well?

Trevor Klee’s Newsletter β€’ 895 implied HN points β€’ 14 Nov 24
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution
  1. Cat Ba langurs can drink seawater and survive in dry conditions due to their diet and unique adaptations. They mainly get water from the leaves they eat, which helps them thrive on an isolated island.
  2. Humans cannot drink seawater without serious health issues. Consuming saltwater leads to dehydration because our bodies can't remove the excess salt fast enough.
  3. Research suggests that Cat Ba langurs have special genetic traits that allow them to manage salt and calcium better than most mammals. This helps them live in their harsh environment.

The Anthropocene: What's In A Name?

Surfing the Future β€’ 139 implied HN points β€’ 16 Apr 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Evolution
  1. Naming periods of significant change is crucial for understanding history and its impact on the present and future.
  2. The concept of Anthropocene, denoting the era where human activities have significant geological impacts, sparks debates among scientists about its start date and implications.
  3. Embracing new paradigms like sustainability and circularity is essential for addressing climate and biodiversity emergencies, even if the recognition like the Anthropocene remains a point of contention.

The other man: Neanderthal findings test our power of imagination

Razib Khan's Unsupervised Learning β€’ 686 implied HN points β€’ 01 Jan 25
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution
  1. Neanderthals were more diverse than previously thought, similar to modern humans. Recent DNA findings show that they had unique social behaviors and were genetically distinct from their neighbors.
  2. The ancient DNA era has rapidly changed our understanding of human prehistory. Discoveries from ancient genomes have revealed new insights into our ancestors and how they interacted with Neanderthals.
  3. A notable finding is the discovery of a Neanderthal named Thorin, who lived in isolation for thousands of years. This suggests that Neanderthals had unique ways of life that are very different from modern humans.

A New Literature

Software Design: Tidy First? β€’ 1988 implied HN points β€’ 11 Jan 24
πŸ“š Literature Evolution
  1. The new companion model called Rent-a-Kent combines blog posts with a trained language model to promote reader interaction.
  2. Creating the companion model felt more like programming than writing a blog post, with less control over the model's responses.
  3. This new form of literature allows for immediate questions and comments without the delay of waiting for replies, but may lack the human connection found in traditional comment sections.

Links for Winter 2026

Telescopic Turnip β€’ 31 implied HN points β€’ 28 Dec 25
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution
  1. Some viruses can trigger bacteria to self-organize into a single, coordinated structure, producing collective behaviors that look a lot like a hive mind.
  2. Gene-level molecular clocks suggest mitochondria were acquired relatively late, after the nucleus, cytoskeleton, and vesicle-transport systems had already evolved, which challenges the idea that mitochondria jump-started eukaryotic complexity.
  3. Forbidding children from moving or fidgeting appears to impair creativity, and larger studies are needed before treating stillness as a universal schooling requirement.

The Galactic Quarantine

α΄‹ΚŸα΄€α΅Ύs β€’ 471 implied HN points β€’ 06 Jun 23
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution
  1. The zoo hypothesis suggests a scenario where a more advanced intelligence has isolated or quarantined the planet, similar to animals in a zoo.
  2. Civilizations may rise and fall based on genetic selection, with humans being perceived as 'angry apes' by more advanced species.
  3. Encounters with UFOs and potentially non-human beings could be viewed in the context of a 'farm' or 'nature preserve' scenario, where humans are studied or observed by a superior intelligence.

Accelerated Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in US Deer Populations

LIL Science β€’ 471 implied HN points β€’ 29 Aug 23
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution
  1. SARS-CoV-2 can evolve quickly in deer populations and may become very different from current variants.
  2. Zoonotic transmission is the spread of a virus between humans and animals, which can lead to new variants that may be problematic for human immunity.
  3. Monitoring wildlife for zoonotic diseases is crucial to prevent the emergence of highly divergent variants that could infect humans.

Paul Stamets on Fungi, Heterodoxy and Systems

rebelwisdom β€’ 687 implied HN points β€’ 07 Mar 23
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution
  1. Fungi play a critical role in ecosystems, being essential for survival and offering various benefits to humans.
  2. Mycelium networks demonstrate resilience and adaptability, showing how diversity and innovation can emerge from minorities and unconventional thinking.
  3. Psilocybin mushrooms provide not just physical effects, but also potential societal and spiritual benefits, connecting different cultures and promoting collaboration over conflict.

Mitochondria Are Alive

Asimov Press β€’ 735 implied HN points β€’ 08 Nov 24
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution
  1. Mitochondria are more than just cell parts; they are alive and have their own functions. They carry their own DNA and replicate just like bacteria.
  2. Thinking of mitochondria as living beings can help us understand their role better in our health and in biology. Many diseases are linked to problems with mitochondria.
  3. Mitochondria can interact with their environment and even move between cells, which shows they can adapt and play important roles in complex biological systems.

The Molecular Genetics of Cold Winters Theory

Anglo Reaction β€’ 412 implied HN points β€’ 07 Mar 23
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution
  1. The theory of Cold Winters suggests that intelligence was a response to the harshness of nature.
  2. Intelligence is higher among individuals further from the equator due to seasonal ecologies.
  3. Genetic studies indicate that human intelligence increased after leaving Africa, aligning with the Cold Winters Theory.