Chris Burcher is an environmental regulator, writer and podcaster, developing a long-form project called The 10,000 Year Problem. He previously worked as a research scientist and published in Ecology, Environmental Management, and other peer-reviewed journals. He has a PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology.
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We evolved to cooperate. So how did we create unequal societies?
For all our flaws, we evolved toward community and cooperation. Toward enough. Yet somehow, we got Egypt. What happened between ten and five thousand years ago that made this possible?
September 15, 2026
