On this, our 301st Evolutionary Lens livestream, we discuss grief and mourning, and what makes us human. How many distinctly human traits will we prune away before we realize that we have gone too far, that there is too little remaining of humanity to be resurrected? From the Industrial Revolution(s) to that of AI, now we’ve got apps that threaten to keep your loved ones “alive” forever, with none of the valuable complexity that ancient grieving traditions offer. Then: bonobos show evidence of language use that is emergent—in which combinations of sounds mean more than the sum of their parts. And: all of the ostriches at Universal Ostrich Farm in British Columbia have been slaughtered, per a court order, despite there being no public or individual health justification for doing so. ***** Our sponsors: Timeline: Accelerate the clearing of damaged mitochondria to improve strength and endurance: Go to http://www.timeline.com/darkhorse and use code darkhorse for 20% off your first order. Caraway: Non-toxic & beautiful cookware. Save $150 on a cookware set over buying individual pieces, and get up to 20% off your order at Carawayhome.com/DH10. Fresh Pressed Olive Oil Club: Scrumptious & freshly harvested. Go to http://www.GetFreshDarkHorse.com to get a bottle of the best olive oil you’ve ever had for $1 shipping. ***** Join us on Locals! Get access to our Discord server, exclusive live streams, live chats for all streams, and early access to many podcasts: https://darkhorse.locals.com Heather’s newsletter, Natural Selections (subscribe to get free weekly essays in your inbox): https://naturalselections.substack.com Our book, A Hunter-Gatherer’s Guide to the 21st Century, is available everywhere books are sold, including from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3AGANGg (commission earned) Check out our store! Epic tabby, digital book burning, saddle up the dire wolves, and more: https://darkhorsestore.org ***** Mentioned in this episode: Amelia Earhart: https://x.com/dnigabbard/status/1989450238923309500 2wai, the anti-grief app: https://x.com/bretweinstein/status/1989413085753577593 Berthet et al 2025. Extensive compositionality in the vocal system of bonobos. Science, 388(6742): 104-108: https://www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.1126/science.adv1170 AP on ostriches, 11-7-25: https://apnews.com/article/oshtrich-cull-bird-flu-canada-cbef6e65b570bbc91a790b4817e02777 WaPo on pet vaccinations: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/11/15/edith-pritchett-cartoon-anti-vaccine-pet-owners/ Support the show
