Vivek V. Venkataraman
@vivek123.bsky.social
📤 501
📥 293
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Biological anthropologist at the University of Calgary
https://www.vivekvenkataraman.com/
Bruce Winterhalder was once asked to share some professional insights. Here they are:
4 days ago
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SAPIENS Magazine
13 days ago
From the archive. Societies divide labor by gender and age. A biological anthropologist considers when and why this behavior arose. Read more:
www.sapiens.org/biology/labo...
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How Allocating Work Aided Our Evolutionary Success
Many societies divide labor by gender and age. A biological anthropologist considers when and why this behavior arose.
https://www.sapiens.org/biology/labor-division-gender-human-orgins/
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Vivek V. Venkataraman
A great piece on the women's hunting debate by Elena Bridgers that covers some of our work:
elenabridgers.substack.com/p/did-women-...
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Did Women Hunt in Our Evolutionary Past?
When Western gender ideology gets in the way of good science
https://elenabridgers.substack.com/p/did-women-hunt-in-our-evolutionary
21 days ago
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A great piece on the women's hunting debate by Elena Bridgers that covers some of our work:
elenabridgers.substack.com/p/did-women-...
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Did Women Hunt in Our Evolutionary Past?
When Western gender ideology gets in the way of good science
https://elenabridgers.substack.com/p/did-women-hunt-in-our-evolutionary
21 days ago
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Vivek V. Venkataraman
Ed Hagen
about 1 month ago
My review of Sex is a Spectrum, by Agustín Fuentes 🧪
#BioAnth
blog.edhagen.net/posts/2025-0...
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Review of Sex Is a Spectrum: The Biological Limits of the Binary by Agustín Fuentes – Grasshoppermouse
Blog posts and talk slides
https://blog.edhagen.net/posts/2025-08-07-review-sex-is-a-spectrum/
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Zach Garfield
about 1 month ago
Some thoughts on how preferences for
#leaders
change with our environments: Leaders for the World We Think We Live In | Psychology Today
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ecol...
#LeadSciSky
#EvPsych
#CultEvol
#socialpsyc
#BehSci
🧪
@zohrankmamdani.bsky.social
@psychologytoday.com
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Leaders for the World We Think We Live In
Why do we trust steady hands in some contexts and risk-takers in others? Evolutionary theory reveals how environments shape our shifting choices of leaders.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ecology-of-minds/202508/leaders-for-the-world-we-think-we-live-in
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Sonja Drimmer
about 1 month ago
Do not accept the premise that education is to blame for abysmal jobs outcomes. “The fantasy economy's framing of economic inequality… focuses exclusively on education…deflects attention away from decades of public policies and changing business practices that have…contributed to stagnating wages”
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Roope Kaaronen
4 months ago
Published two years ago in
@science.org
: "Body-based units of measure in cultural evolution" We looked into how, and why, human societies have measured things with their bodies. A little thread about the deep ancestry and cross-cultural heritage of measurement:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
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Body-based units of measure in cultural evolution
Measurements based on body part length have cognitive and behavioral advantages, which accounts for their widespread and persistent use.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adf1936
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Vivek V. Venkataraman
I’ve been trying to figure out which scientists in the human evolutionary sciences were directly influenced by Robert Ardrey’s books. Mostly the answer is a resounding no.
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Lewis Wolpert: 'No one working in the social sciences can ignore the
I recently had lunch with John Tooby and Leda Cosmides of the University of California at Santa Barbara. They have become famous for their contributions to evolutionary psychology, and have revolution...
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/lewis-wolpert-no-one-working-in-the-social-sciences-can-ignore-the-role-of-our-genetic-inheritance-114109.html
about 1 month ago
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I’ve been trying to figure out which scientists in the human evolutionary sciences were directly influenced by Robert Ardrey’s books. Mostly the answer is a resounding no.
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Lewis Wolpert: 'No one working in the social sciences can ignore the
I recently had lunch with John Tooby and Leda Cosmides of the University of California at Santa Barbara. They have become famous for their contributions to evolutionary psychology, and have revolution...
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/lewis-wolpert-no-one-working-in-the-social-sciences-can-ignore-the-role-of-our-genetic-inheritance-114109.html
about 1 month ago
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Hugo Mercier
about 1 month ago
From ancient Greece to the Arabic golden age, scholars have been driven by their curiosity to investigate astronomy, history, philosophy, and sundry other disciplines. Is there a structure to that curiosity? Are astronomers as likely to also be historians or to also be philosophers?
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Chris Stringer
about 2 months ago
Changes in diet drove physical evolution in early humans
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
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Changes in diet drove physical evolution in early humans
A Dartmouth-led study shows that early humans developed a taste for grassy carbohydrate-rich plants 700,000 years before they evolved the ideal teeth to chew the tougher plant fibers efficiently. The ...
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1092585?et_rid=34814771&et_cid=5691587
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Philip Ball
about 2 months ago
This is fascinating. It is also evidence in favour of taking biological agency seriously, rather than treating it as an "as if" property.
add a skeleton here at some point
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"Behavior drives morphological change during human evolution" Our new article is out in
@science.org
today
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
about 2 months ago
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Pleased to present our new preprint on sleep and circadian rhythms among the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia. This is a fascinating system for exploring sleep biology. Lots of variation in light exposure, housing type, and subsistence.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵 below.
about 2 months ago
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Vivek V. Venkataraman
Some fun unpublished data from a talk I gave years ago on the sexual division of labor (SDOL) among the Batek of Malaysia. The Batek have been described as highly gender-egalitarian. Kirk and Karen Endicott collected the data in 1975-76, back when the Batek were fully nomadic foragers.
about 2 months ago
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Some fun unpublished data from a talk I gave years ago on the sexual division of labor (SDOL) among the Batek of Malaysia. The Batek have been described as highly gender-egalitarian. Kirk and Karen Endicott collected the data in 1975-76, back when the Batek were fully nomadic foragers.
about 2 months ago
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From our new preprint on physical activity (PA) and cardiometabolic health among the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia. An extreme lifestyle gradient results in drastic variation in PA, w/ especially notable age-related declines in PA with urbanization
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
2 months ago
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Our new preprint looks at how early life environments shape adult cardiometabolic health among the Orang Asli.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
"We find support for the Developmental Constraints model but not the Predictive Adaptive Response model in explaining adult cardiometabolic health"
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Early life environments shape adult cardiometabolic health during rapid lifestyle change
Early life environments can have long-lasting impacts on health and fitness, but the evolutionary significance of these effects remains debated. Two major classes of explanations have been proposed: d...
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.06.06.658350v1
2 months ago
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Check out our new preprint! We ask: how does urbanization impact cardiometabolic health among Orang Asli and Turkana? Congrats to lead author
@marinawatowich.bsky.social
!
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
"We find that age effects on cardiometabolic health are highly modifiable by lifestyle..."
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Urbanization exacerbates age-associated declines in cardiometabolic health in Turkana and Orang Asli
Declines in cardiometabolic health among older individuals are so ubiquitous in Western, high-income countries that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascu...
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.06.06.25329160v1.full.pdf+html
2 months ago
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Prof. Gillian Brown
2 months ago
Useful observation by
@enzaspinapolice.bsky.social
that a simplistic and problematic 'man the hunter' stereotype was propagated by popular science (e.g. Audrey, Morris) and was less explicit in original academic literature.
@ishpssb2025.bsky.social
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Luke Glowacki
3 months ago
I'm excited to share that my wife's book, The Mind Electric, is out! She's a brilliant neurologist and weaves together patient stories exploring the human mind. I read it and it's fantastic. If you r interested in the mind, culture, & how we make meaning, check it out!
www.amazon.com/Mind-Electri...
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Vivek V. Venkataraman
IASToulouse
3 months ago
The Friends of IAST conference has come to an end Thank you to all the attendees, presenters, partners & organizers for the richness of the moments we shared together: discussions, presentations as well as informal exchanges during the coffee breaks! 👋
@minhuayan.bsky.social
S. Mitter J. Stieglitz
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IASToulouse
3 months ago
🎉 The Friends of IAST conference kicks off today in Toulouse! Held every two years, this event brings together IAST alumni and new research fellows—two days of reconnecting, sharing ideas, and sparking new collaborations. 👋Organizers:
@minhuayan.bsky.social
S. Mitter J. Stieglitz
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Michael Gurven
3 months ago
Your next Fall read, my new book: SEVEN DECADES: HOW WE EVOLVED TO LIVE LONGER Longevity is shaped by our evolutionary past—imagine aging as opportunity rather than burden. Out Sept 16, preorder w/ code PUP30 for 30% discount:
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
@princetonupress.bsky.social
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Seven Decades
An anthropologist uncovers new evidence for the evolutionary origins of human longevity—and explains why growing old is an opportunity, not a burden
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691231990/seven-decades
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Vivek V. Venkataraman
Radical Anthropology
4 months ago
And this is our recent excellent ZOOM with
@vivek123.bsky.social
youtu.be/6IgVqOxCxIk?...
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The Meanings and Dividends of Man the Hunter by Vivek Venkataraman 20 May 2025
YouTube video by Radical Anthropology
https://youtu.be/6IgVqOxCxIk?si=W09u7lWUBBalGxlh
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Last week, I delivered a talk to the Radical Anthropology Group on our new preprint called The Meanings and Dividends of Man the Hunter. Thanks to
@radicalanthro.bsky.social
for having me! Link:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IgV...
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The Meanings and Dividends of Man the Hunter by Vivek Venkataraman 20 May 2025
YouTube video by Radical Anthropology
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IgVqOxCxIk&t=641s&ab_channel=RadicalAnthropology
4 months ago
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Vivek V. Venkataraman
ProSocial World
4 months ago
Evolutionary anthropologist Vivek Venkataraman and renowned scientist David Sloan Wilson dig into how early human societies developed. 🔗Don't miss out, come along!
www.prosocial.world/events/democ...
#Evolution
#Biology
#Academic
#Podcast
#History
#Science
#ProSocial
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Really looking forward to this conversation on Friday May 23 with
@davidsloanwilson.bsky.social
If you've ever wondered what hunter-gatherers can tell us about the evolution of democracy, please join us!
www.prosocial.world/events/democ...
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Democracy’s Deep Roots: From Hunter-Gatherers to Modern Society A conversation between Vivek Venkataraman and David Sloan Wilson
Free Live Discussion and Q&A with the Speakers
https://www.prosocial.world/events/democracys-deep-roots-venkataraman-and-wilson
4 months ago
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Tomorrow (Tues May 20) I'll be giving an online talk to the Radical Anthropology Group on our new preprint about the Meaning of Man the Hunter. All are welcome! 130pm EST ZOOM only ZOOM ID 384 186 2174 passcode Wawilak
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-meanin...
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The Meaning and Dividends of Man the Hunter
Leading hunter-gatherer anthropologist Vivek Venkataraman looks into the debates arising from 'Man the Hunter'
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-meaning-and-dividends-of-man-the-hunter-tickets-1322130220079
4 months ago
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Vivek V. Venkataraman
Radical Anthropology
4 months ago
Our ZOOM tomorrow with Vivek Venkataraman on 'The Meaning and Dividends of Man the Hunter' 6:30pm ID 384 186 2174 passcode Wawilak
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Vivek V. Venkataraman
4 months ago
I highly recommend this live podcast titled "Democracy's Deep Roots: From Hunter-Gatherers to Modern Society:
www.prosocial.world/events/democ...
.
@prosocialworld.bsky.social
@vivek123.bsky.social
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Democracy’s Deep Roots: From Hunter-Gatherers to Modern Society A conversation between Vivek Venkataraman and David Sloan Wilson
Free Live Discussion and Q&A with the Speakers
https://www.prosocial.world/events/democracys-deep-roots-venkataraman-and-wilson
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Vivek V. Venkataraman
Radical Anthropology
4 months ago
Looking forward to our ZOOM next week with
@vivek123.bsky.social
Details 👇
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Vivek V. Venkataraman
Radical Anthropology
4 months ago
Looking forward to our ZOOM next week with
@vivek123.bsky.social
Details 👇
add a skeleton here at some point
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Vivek V. Venkataraman
Duncan Stibbard Hawkes
6 months ago
🚨Preprint alert 🚨 Forager food-sharing is often portrayed as “a positive insistence on equality” (Woodburn) or an “instinct” to equalise inequalities (Fehr). A new paper with
@kris-smith.bsky.social
, exploring Hadza reallocation decisions, challenges this view. 1/10
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
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The 'I' in Egalitarianism: Hadza Hunter-Gatherers Averse to Inequality Primarily when Personally Unfavourable
Many anthropologists and economists contend that humans are characterized by strong, universal, other-regarding equality preferences with deep evolutionary root
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5193882
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Our new paper on Arsi gelada feeding ecology! This is the southernmost living population of geladas. Their envt is lower elevation and thus hotter compared to other sites. Activity budget data suggest this is a pretty marginal envt for geladas.
brill.com/view/journal...
5 months ago
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Our team recently took a deep dive into the history of Man the Hunter. Preprint:
osf.io/preprints/os...
I learned some very surprising things about interactions between popular writers and practicing anthropologists. 🧵 below
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OSF
https://osf.io/preprints/osf/gawbt_v1?view_only=
5 months ago
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This new podcast featuring
@ceciliapad.bsky.social
and Karen Kramer is nicely done - a balanced perspective grounded in the history of anthropology and the ethnography of hunter-gatherer societies. We need more sci comm like this!
www.sapiens.org/archaeology/...
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Hunting, Gathering, and the Fluidity of Gender Roles
Looking at the way people divide work in hunter-gatherer societies can tell us something about the evolutionary origins of gender roles.
https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/hunting-gathering-fluidity-gender-roles/
5 months ago
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I recently did a thoroughly enjoyable two-part podcast with David Sloan Wilson at ProSocial World (
@prosocialworld.bsky.social
). The topic was Hunter-Gatherer Societies, Human Origins, and Modern Democracies. Feedback welcome!
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Hunter-Gatherer Societies, Human Origins, and Modern Democracies with Vivek Venkataraman (Part 1)
YouTube video by ProSocial World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtPj2LacSWI&t=20s&ab_channel=ProSocialWorld
5 months ago
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Cecilia Padilla-Iglesias
5 months ago
Finally out 🥳: I've written and recorded a podcast episode with the amazing Karen Kramer for Sapiens Magazine on the origins and evolution of division of labour in hunter-gatherer societies, and its implications for undestanding (or misunderstanding) gender roles:
open.spotify.com/episode/2ZGA...
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Hunting, Gathering, and the Fluidity of Gender Roles
SAPIENS: A Podcast for Everything Human · Episode
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ZGADyVN2iK0HlsuXJoEHT?si=9c65f11cc5b34e08
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Vivek V. Venkataraman
Cecilia Padilla-Iglesias
5 months ago
Also, super timely release with
@vivek123.bsky.social
and colleagues' new paper on the Meanings and Dividends of Man the Hunter (as we touch on many similar topics, and Karen is also an author):
osf.io/preprints/os...
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OSF
https://osf.io/preprints/osf/gawbt_v1
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Graeme Warren
5 months ago
ISHGR are now seeking hosts for CHAGS14 which we intend to take place in summer 2027. Contact
[email protected]
for informal discussion and details of the application process. Applications by end May25 decision end June 25.
www.ishgr.org
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Vivek V. Venkataraman
Mauro Silva Júnior
6 months ago
The phrase *Man the Hunter* has been used in 3 very different ways—causing confusion in science & the public. A new paper unpacks its history & meaning across popular evolution theory, the 1966 conference, & behavioral ecology. With
@vivek123.bsky.social
@edhagen.net
& others
osf.io/preprints/os...
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OSF
https://osf.io/preprints/osf/gawbt_v1
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Vivek V. Venkataraman
Ed Hagen
6 months ago
@anthrofuentes.bsky.social
responds to our article, which is summarized in this thread:
bsky.app/profile/edha...
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Graeme Warren
6 months ago
ISHGR regret that we have been forced to cancel CHAGS14, which was to have been held June 2026 in University of Nevada, Reno, USA. This decision reflects our concern about the current political situation in America and the uncertainties and risks for those travelling there. 1/2
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Dieter Lukas
6 months ago
Article on the meaning of "Man the Hunter mean", to address that "research in the human behavioral sciences is frequently co-opted/misinterpreted to serve different popular narratives"
https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/gawbt_v1
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OSF
https://osf.io/gawbt_v1/
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Vivek V. Venkataraman
Ed Hagen
6 months ago
1. Does research by
@caraocobock.bsky.social
& others, widely reported in SciAm & elsewhere, finally dispel hunter-gatherer myths that have persisted since the 60's? In a preprint led by
@vivek123.bsky.social
The Meanings & Dividends of Man the Hunter:
osf.io/preprints/os...
we respond 🧵🧪
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Vivek V. Venkataraman
David P. Schmitt, Ph.D.
6 months ago
The Meanings and Dividends of Man the Hunter
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What does the phrase Man the Hunter mean? It’s everywhere in popular discourse, but rarely defined. As a diverse group of hunter-gatherer scholars, we offer a new history and analysis of this controversial phrase.
osf.io/preprints/os...
6 months ago
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Welcome to the team, Tobias!
add a skeleton here at some point
7 months ago
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