Why do human animals fly planes and build cities?

What separates humans from other animals? It’s not our brain hardware. 

It’s our always changing brain software.

For so long, humans believed our brain power separates us from animals: since the earliest human species, our brain size has tripled.

But our brains haven’t grown for 30,000 - probably 300,000 years.

So, why are we the ones who build cities and fly to space?  

Michael Muthukrishna calls it our collective culture.

As every generation passes our operating system gets a free upgrade, and we build on the knowledge of the generation before.

GUEST:

Professor Michael Muthukrishna is at the London School of Economics and, in January 2026, will take up a professorship at New York University 

This program was made on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation