Some Neanderthals hunted bigger animals, across a larger range, than modern humans

The analysis could help us understand behavioural differences between the two groups of humans.

Bethan Linscott, Postdoctoral Researcher, Archaeological Geochemistry, University of Oxford • conversation
May 11, 2023 ~6 min

Government’s invisible hand in developing countries

Political scientist Noah Nathan’s new book, “The Scarce State,” explores the deep impact government can have even when it is seemingly absent.

Peter Dizikes | MIT News Office • mit
May 11, 2023 ~7 min


Study: AI models fail to reproduce human judgements about rule violations

Models trained using common data-collection techniques judge rule violations more harshly than humans would, researchers report.

Adam Zewe | MIT News Office • mit
May 10, 2023 ~8 min

Podcast: Curiosity Unbounded, Episode 2 — Bureaucracies, dictatorships, and the power of Africa’s people

President Sally Kornbluth talks with Associate Professor Mai Hassan about public administration in Africa and how people mobilize against repressive regimes.

MIT News Office • mit
May 9, 2023 ~38 min

Enigmatic human fossil jawbone may be evidence of an early *Homo sapiens* presence in Europe – and adds mystery about who those humans were

Scientists had figured a fossil found in Spain more than a century ago was from a Neandertal. But a new analysis suggests it could be from a lost lineage of our species, Homo sapiens.

Rolf Quam, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Binghamton University, State University of New York • conversation
May 2, 2023 ~12 min

J-PAL North America announces six new evaluation incubator partners to catalyze research on pressing social issues

The research center will support two nonprofits and four government agencies in designing randomized evaluations on housing stability, procedural justice, transportation, income assistance, and more.

Laina Sonterblum | J-PAL North America • mit
April 28, 2023 ~6 min

Human activities in Asia have reduced elephant habitat by nearly two-thirds since 1700, dividing what remains into ever-smaller patches

A new study looks back into history to assess human impacts on the range of Asian elephants and finds sharp decline starting several centuries ago.

Shermin de Silva, Assistant Professor of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, University of California, San Diego • conversation
April 27, 2023 ~10 min

Study offers a new view of when and how governments distribute land

In Kenya, property rights are granted more often by democratic regimes than by autocrats — but decisions tend to be politically motivated regardless of who’s in charge.

Peter Dizikes | MIT News Office • mit
April 27, 2023 ~7 min


Building better brain collaboration online – despite scientific squabbles, the decade-long Human Brain Project brought measurable success to neuroscience collaboration

The European Union’s 10-year Human Brain Project is coming to a close. Whether this controversial 1 billion-euro project achieved its aims is unclear, but its online forum did foster collaboration.

Ann-Christin Kreyer, Ph.D. Candidate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition • conversation
March 22, 2023 ~10 min

After taking intro course in new concentration, alum sets up own lab

Sam Wattrus ’16, Ph.D. ’22, becomes the first human developmental and regenerative biology concentrator to establish an independent research lab.

Joelle Zaslow • harvard
March 13, 2023 ~6 min

/

92