"The Impact of Eurasia's East-West Axis on History"
A new study tests Jared Diamond's hypothesis that Eurasia's unique East-West axis contributed to its rapid cultural development. The study finds that environmental factors and travel costs do hinder the spread of cultural traits, but contrary to Diamond's expectations, Eurasia is not significantly more ecologically homogeneous than other regions. The study emphasizes that while geography, genetics, and ecology matter, they do not determine destiny, and provides a new perspective based on quantitative data for understanding the impact of geography on cultural transmission.