New Scientist Podcasts
Weekly: The origins of writing revealed; world’s largest (and oldest?) tree
Nov 8, 2024
Michael Marshall, a science journalist, delves into the origins of cuneiform writing, highlighting its decentralized development as a cultural tool rather than a bureaucratic one. Madeleine Cuff discusses the urgency of the upcoming COP29 climate conference, amidst disappointing previous meetings. James Woodford reveals Pando, a massive, ancient tree that coexisted with woolly mammoths, possibly making it the oldest living organism. Lastly, Matthew Sparkes shares insights on vampire bats, their surprising running abilities, and their peculiar blood-based diet.
34:02
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Quick takeaways
- Recent discoveries indicate that writing systems like cuneiform evolved through decentralized efforts across communities, not only elite bureaucratic needs.
- The study of Pando reveals it may be between 16,000 and 80,000 years old, challenging our understanding of the longevity of living organisms.
Deep dives
Decentralized Origins of Writing
Recent findings suggest that the origins of cuneiform, the world’s oldest writing system, were more decentralized than previously understood. Researchers discovered that writing likely developed through contributions from various individuals across a wide geographic area rather than being dictated by a centralized authority. This new perspective contrasts with earlier beliefs that writing was solely a product of elite bureaucratic needs in ancient Mesopotamia. The evolution of writing systems, such as cuneiform, also involved simpler proto-writing methods that utilized symbols for record-keeping without complex grammatical rules.
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