Why does it seem like civilisations - sometimes great distances apart - made similar discoveries at almost exactly the same time? Whether it’s the invention of the wheel, agriculture or early forms of writing, there seem to be parallels everywhere you look. But why did these innovations and discoveries seem to take place at roughly the same time? Does it provide evidence for a kind of cultural clock that moves civilisations towards a converged form of progress?

In this week’s podcast, we discuss ancient progress. We take a closer look at convergent evolution, the Andaman Islands, Fermi paradox, AI, aliens and the Arecibo message and ponder if globalisation ended this phenomenon. Finally, we share our favourite moments of contact between different civilisations.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

- The Aztecs - A Clash of Worlds
- Sid Meier’s Civilization Advances Chart
- Cradle of Civilization
- Neuroscience, Evolution and the Sapient Paradox: The Factuality of Value and of the Sacred
- Aztec Technology

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