Monday, June 20, 2022

why we waste energy

The latest special issue of Current Biology is about economy and biology, and my contribution looks at the energy efficiency of the hunter gatherer lifestyle compared to feeding strategies of other primates and to later developments such as agriculture. Turns out we have always prioritised time efficiency over energy efficiency, setting us on a straight path towards today's ridiculously wasteful ways of getting our calories.

The resulting feature is out now:

Shopping with hunter gatherers

Current Biology Volume 32, Issue 12, 20 June 2022, Pages R596-R599

FREE access to full text and PDF download

NB: as the 2022 features move into the open archives, I will add them to this thread on Mastodon.

Present-day hunter-gatherer populations like the Hazda in Tanzania, shown here, were included in a study analysing the energetics of this subsistence strategy. (Photo: alexstrachan/Pixabay.)

NB in the non-special section of the issue there is also an interview with Asifa Majid, whose work I have covered on various occasions and who also gave a helpful hint that was crucial for this feature. Her interview appears to be on open access.

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