Researchers sampled 106 Austronesian societies from the Pulotu database to study the way political complexity evolves in relation to religious beliefs and practices. Specifically, they attempt to test the causal theory that supernatural punishment played a causal role in the emergence of large, complex societies. They use phylogenetic models to control for Galton's Problem in testing the supernatural punishment hypothesis in an effort to demonstrate the effectiveness of utilizing cross-cultural datasets in evaluating evolutionary change in human social organization.

Researchers sampled 106 Austronesian societies from the Pulotu database to study the way political complexity evolves in relation to religious beliefs and practices. Specifically, they attempt to test the causal theory that supernatural punishment played a causal role in the emergence of large, complex societies. They use phylogenetic models to control for Galton's Problem in testing the supernatural punishment hypothesis in an effort to demonstrate the effectiveness of utilizing cross-cultural datasets in evaluating evolutionary change in human social organization.

This study investigates the time-hardened question of whether alcohol had any role in the evolution of complex societies, aka the “drunk’ hypothesis. Although indigenous alcoholic beverages are found in about 50% of societies around the world largely excluding native North America and Oceania, low-alcohol fermented drinks have been known to aid in social cohesion, maintaining political ties (through feasting), and rituals. While it is clear alcohol is not a direct indicator of social complexity, when controlling for agriculture and other major factors, the relationship between the two is significant.

Using phylogenetic methods, this research examines the relationship between landesque capital intensive agriculture ("permanent changes to landscape, such as construction of terraces and irrigation canals"(3631)) , political complexity, and social stratification amongst 155 Austronesian-speaking societies. Researchers attempted to find an underlying causality between the above mentioned variables, which have already been shown to be cross-culturally related. Results of statistical testing are most consistent with their being no clear causal link between the tested variables. The researchers claim this demonstrates social complexity and the multifaceted nature of cultural evolution.

Using phylogenetic methods, this research examines the relationship between landesque capital intensive agriculture ("permanent changes to landscape, such as construction of terraces and irrigation canals"(3631)) , political complexity, and social stratification amongst 155 Austronesian-speaking societies. Researchers attempted to find an underlying causality between the above mentioned variables, which have already been shown to be cross-culturally related. Results of statistical testing are most consistent with their being no clear causal link between the tested variables. The researchers claim this demonstrates social complexity and the multifaceted nature of cultural evolution.

This study investigates the time-hardened question of whether alcohol had any role in the evolution of complex societies, aka the “drunk’ hypothesis. Although indigenous alcoholic beverages are found in about 50% of societies around the world largely excluding native North America and Oceania, low-alcohol fermented drinks have been known to aid in social cohesion, maintaining political ties (through feasting), and rituals. While it is clear alcohol is not a direct indicator of social complexity, when controlling for agriculture and other major factors, the relationship between the two is significant.

This study investigates the time-hardened question of whether alcohol had any role in the evolution of complex societies, aka the “drunk’ hypothesis. Although indigenous alcoholic beverages are found in about 50% of societies around the world largely excluding native North America and Oceania, low-alcohol fermented drinks have been known to aid in social cohesion, maintaining political ties (through feasting), and rituals. While it is clear alcohol is not a direct indicator of social complexity, when controlling for agriculture and other major factors, the relationship between the two is significant.

Using phylogenetic methods, this research examines the relationship between landesque capital intensive agriculture ("permanent changes to landscape, such as construction of terraces and irrigation canals"(3631)) , political complexity, and social stratification amongst 155 Austronesian-speaking societies. Researchers attempted to find an underlying causality between the above mentioned variables, which have already been shown to be cross-culturally related. Results of statistical testing are most consistent with their being no clear causal link between the tested variables. The researchers claim this demonstrates social complexity and the multifaceted nature of cultural evolution.

This study investigates the time-hardened question of whether alcohol had any role in the evolution of complex societies, aka the “drunk’ hypothesis. Although indigenous alcoholic beverages are found in about 50% of societies around the world largely excluding native North America and Oceania, low-alcohol fermented drinks have been known to aid in social cohesion, maintaining political ties (through feasting), and rituals. While it is clear alcohol is not a direct indicator of social complexity, when controlling for agriculture and other major factors, the relationship between the two is significant.

This study investigates the time-hardened question of whether alcohol had any role in the evolution of complex societies, aka the “drunk’ hypothesis. Although indigenous alcoholic beverages are found in about 50% of societies around the world largely excluding native North America and Oceania, low-alcohol fermented drinks have been known to aid in social cohesion, maintaining political ties (through feasting), and rituals. While it is clear alcohol is not a direct indicator of social complexity, when controlling for agriculture and other major factors, the relationship between the two is significant.