The Browser - Neanderthal Countryside

The Evolution Of Neanderthal Portraits

Cindy Hsin-Yee Huang | Sapiens | 21st February 2024 | U

Depictions of Neanderthals, our evolutionary cousins, have varied greatly since the 1800s. These portraits “represent a touchstone for what it means to be human” and alter with each age. Artists filled in the gaps of the fossil record, making their versions lighter-skinned or less “ape-like” at the zenith of 19C scientific racism and then more sympathetic and palatably “modern” in the late 20C (1,300 words)

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Urban Countrysides

Matthieu Calame | Books & Ideas | 20th February 2024 | U

The “renaturation” of urban spaces — adding greenery for aesthetic and ecological reasons — has come to be regarded as a wholly good idea. Returning cultivation to these spaces, via city farms and green roofs, also seems like a positive step. But it can “become the Trojan horse of gentrification”, driving up property prices and attracting private investors with nothing but profit in mind (1,400 words)

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