Study Finds Striking Similarities in Human Migratory Patterns over Time

2014-08-04T19:20:00-04:00

In the past decade, some data scientists have looked to science to understand history, borrowing tools from disciplines such as ecology and statistics to answer questions like when (and how) Rome ceded its throne as Europe's cultural capital to Paris. The new study is part of this trend: It offers an extremely detailed look at the cultural movements of the past 2,000 years, pointing to a new data-driven way to conduct historical research and map the migration of people over time.

The study utilized historical figures, chiefly because records of the poor simply weren't taken in the past. It includes several interesting finds. In particular, the more intelligent individuals in rural areas have consistently migrated to cities and stayed there. In other words, it is no coincidence that cities have been historically considered cultural hotspots. Additionally, the study shows that the distances people have moved over the last 800 years are surprisingly stable, growing only from "a typical distance of 133 miles (214 kilometers) in the 14th century to 237 miles (382 kilometers) today, despite the advent of automobiles and airplanes."

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Study Finds Striking Similarities in Human Migratory Patterns over Time