Weekend Reading, Watching and Listening Recommendations [February 4, 2022]

Did a mega drought topple empires 4,200 years ago?; Zimbabwe’s climate migration is a sign of what’s to come; Minimizing Pain, Maximizing Joy; Decentralized Finance & Blockchain will Transform Finance

1. Read: Did a mega drought topple empires 4,200 years ago? People abandoned thriving cities in Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley and farther afield at about the same time as a decades-long drought gripped parts of the planet. [via Nature]

2. Read: Zimbabwe’s climate migration is a sign of what’s to come [via MIT Technology Review]

3. Listen: Minimizing Pain, Maximizing Joy: Life is often filled with hardships and tragedies. Philosopher William Irvine talks about ancient ideas — backed by modern psychology — that can help us manage disappointment and misfortune. [via Hidden Brain]

4. Watch: How Decentralized Finance and Blockchain will Transform Financial Services [via Princeton University]