
Everything is Everything Ep 117: What Our Genes and Phones Tell Us
Sep 22, 2025
Explore how genetic data reshapes our understanding of human history, revealing migrations and intermixing over millennia. Discover the fascinating connections between phone metrics and personal behavior, including insights from battery life. Delve into how new measurement techniques are reframing historical debates and enhancing economic predictions, using everything from satellite imagery to quirky indices like lipstick sales. The hosts connect the intricate dance of data with societal dynamics and individual choices.
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Measurement Unlocks New Knowledge
- Measurement is the foundation of knowledge; better measurement lets us see realities previously hidden.
- New data sources (satellites, phones, genomes) create radically new views of history and society.
Cavalli-Sforza's Early Genetic Bet
- Luca Cavalli-Sforza bet decades ago that genetics could reveal human prehistory.
- His early work with blood groups led to the genomic view that now illuminates migrations and ancestry.
Genomes Reveal Deep Mixing
- Genomics showed we all trace back to Africa and revealed deep, mixed ancestry across populations.
- Ancient DNA overturns many archaeological conventional wisdoms about separate, pure populations.







