Prehistoric Cave Art by Kids, Measuring Happiness
Photo credit: Jessica Cooney/Leslie Van Gelder
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This Week: I posted this week’s podcast from Gothenburg, Sweden. However, the stories in this episode are from Canada and France. The one from Canada is about a public health expert who is helping his home town—Victoria, British Columbia—measure and promote happiness as public policy. He’s also the guest in our Science Forum discussion. You can stop by with your own thoughts here. And a French cave has revealed prehistoric finger drawings by children.
Measuring and Promoting Happiness: As countries around the world try to figure out ways to boost their economies, some countries and cities are looking beyond economic growth as a measure of societal progress. They’re trying to promote happiness and overall well being. One of the scientists pioneering that effort is Michael Pennock. He’s a public health expert in Victoria, British Columbia. In 2006, Pennock helped Bhutan develop its Gross National Happiness Index. He has since developed a survey to measure happiness in his home town. The survey is being used to develop a happiness index not just in Victoria, but also in other cities around the world. Listen to my story about Pennock’s work and join our online conversation with him in our latest Science Forum.
Prehistoric Cave Art by Kids: Archaeologists have long been studying the paintings and drawings on the walls of a famous cave complex in France. The stone age art dates back to the Paleolithic Age. Many of the drawings represent woolly mammoths. In fact the place is nicknamed the “Cave of a Hundred Mammoths.” Lately, researchers have been focusing on some finger drawings. They think children as young as three, four or five did some of the artwork. So, part of the cave complex may have served as a kind of prehistoric nursery where kids were encouraged to develop their creative skills in cave art – 13,000 years ago. The World’s Marco Werman spoke with Jessica Cooney at the University of Cambridge, which hosted a conference on the archaeology of childhood.
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