Since its debut in 1972, punctuated equilibrium (PE) has been both a source of controversy and a catalyst for new thinking in evolutionary biology. Proposed by Stephen Jay Gould and N iles Eldredge, PE argued that most species spend long periods in morphological stasis, only to undergo rapid bursts of change during speciation. At first glance, this seemed to clash with the prevailing model of genome-based, gradual evolution—where natural selection operates on the steady accumulation of small mutations. But in recent years, developments in genomics, developmental biology, and systems theory have begun to bridge the gap. What once seemed like a dichotomy now appears to be a case of different lenses on the same underlying process. ...

For decades, the story of Homo sapiens was told as a relatively straightforward ascent: one lineage, one continent, one eventual global success. But the latest genetic research suggests that our origins were anything but tidy. Instead of a single evolutionary path, modern humans appear to have emerged from the long-delayed reunion of two ancient lineages—distant cousins who had gone their separate ways over a million years earlier. This new model, built on cutting-edge genomic analysis rather than fossil fragments, reveals a far messier beginning: a braid, not a branch. ...

When we imagine evolution, we often picture it unfolding at a leisurely, predictable pace—small changes stacking up over time like bricks in a wall. That’s the traditional view: gradualism, the slow grind of nature perfecting its handiwork. But what if evolution doesn’t always play by those rules? What if nature has a taste for the dramatic—long stretches of calm, interrupted by bursts of sudden transformation? That’s the idea behind punctuated equilibrium (PE), a theory introduced in the 1970s by palaeontologists Stephen Jay Gould and Niles Eldredge. Rather than a smooth evolutionary curve, PE proposes a jagged rhythm: long periods where species remain largely unchanged, punctuated by short, intense episodes of change—often triggered by environmental disruption or internal developmental shifts. ...

When we think about evolution, we usually imagine something like survival of the fittest—organisms scrabbling to adapt to harsh environments, with only the strongest traits passing on to the next generation. But what if much of the story wasn’t written in the open battlefields of nature, but quietly, deep inside the womb? That’s exactly the idea behind the work of paleoanthropologist Anne Dambricourt-Malassé. Her research suggests that one of the most important drivers of human evolution isn’t some dramatic change in diet, climate, or hunting technique—but the early developmental behaviour of a small, oddly shaped bone at the base of the skull: the sphenoid. ...

Can Europe really build its own tech stack—or is EuroStack just another well-funded diagram waiting to happen? I sketched out a few thoughts on the EU’s latest moonshot over at NGI. It’s got funding figures, federated fantasies, and a healthy dose of dry scepticism. Have a peek at my sketch over at NGI

The Tyrant in the North archetype is not a performer but a preserver: of myth, of order, of his own supremacy. This archetype does not rise amid noise but descends with silence. It calcifies institutions, hollows out succession, and encases power in ritual. When the wheel of collective life stops turning, you will usually find a frozen king gripping its hub. The north of the wheel In Indigenous frameworks like the Plains peoples’ Medicine Wheel, the North is the realm of the elder. It represents wisdom, vision, and responsibility—the long gaze of time. The North holds the archetype of the King or Chief: the steward of legacy, the guardian of community, the one who leads from stillness. ...

Steelmanning the case, while noting that laughing at the circus doesn’t mean you want to live in the tent. Trump the trickster: the joke that ran for president Donald J. Trump — property mogul, reality TV star, political wrecking ball — is many things. But viewed through the mythic lens of the trickster, he becomes oddly legible. Like Anansi, Loki, or Hermes after too much Adderall, Trump doesn’t simply break rules — he points at them, mocks them, and sells merch off the wreckage. He is not the fool. He is the dealer of foolishness, and he’s made the world play. ...

The trickster is no ordinary troublemaker. They are the necessary saboteur, the holy vandal, the one who pries open order just enough to let chaos breathe. Found in every corner of the world and across every era, the trickster is an ancient archetype dressed in local clothes — part comedian, part rebel, part divine disruption. They don’t simply play tricks; they expose the trick of the world itself. From the scheming spider Anansi to the gender-bending Loki, from Coyote’s dusty trails to Hermes’ winged heists, the trickster thrives in the cracks of civilisation — those uncomfortable in-between spaces where certainties collapse and new meanings ferment. If priests bless the structure and kings enforce it, the trickster questions the terms of the deal. They aren’t against the rules. They just want to know who wrote them and whether the ink is dry. ...

Long before Freud started pointing at cigars and claiming they were something else, humans had a knack for repeating themselves — in stories, in stone, in superstition. Scratch beneath any civilisation, and you’ll find the same motley cast showing up again and again: the wise elder, the brave fool, the trickster, the tyrant, the lover, the destroyer. Different clothes, same bones. These are archetypes — not characters, but patterns. Not clichés, but deep structure. ...

We often think of democratic deficits as abstract — something that lives in Brussels conference rooms and academic papers. But in practice, power without accountability isn’t just theoretical. It shows up in the bills you pay, the apps you use, the water you drink, and the politicians you never seem to be able to reach. Here’s how it plays out across key sectors: Climate and energy — lofty goals, murky delivery Europe’s climate policy is a paradox: ambitious in targets, opaque in implementation. ...