This episode explores the long and often slow trajectory of human technological development, tracing it from early hominin tool-making to the precursors of modern innovation. It highlights how biological and cognitive evolution, combined with environmental factors and the constraints of hunter-gatherer societies, initially limited the pace of progress. It then discusses pivotal turning points like the Neolithic Agricultural Revolution and the Urban Revolution, which fostered specialization and led to inventions such as writing and metallurgy. Finally, it examines later accelerations driven by intellectual movements like the Renaissance and Scientific Revolution, as well as the transformative impact of the printing press, while also addressing reasons for the "Great Divergence" in technological advancement among different global regions.

Research done with the help of artificial intelligence, and presented by two AI-generated hosts.