Tungurahua, an active volcano in Ecuador, sits amid farming communities that have dwelled alongside it for generations.

How to “Co-Live” With a Natural Hazard

The ways in which Andean villagers have adapted to a neighboring volcano could offer lessons to other communities in reframing risks and responding to disasters.

Cómo “convivir” con un volcán activo

Las formas en que los pobladores andinos se han adaptado a un volcán vecino podrían ofrecer lecciones a otras comunidades para replantear los riesgos y responder a los desastres naturales.
The sewing kit above is one of multiple items from a massive private collection held in Indiana that the FBI helped repatriate. This particular item is now in Peru, where it was initially crafted.

The FBI’s Repatriation of Stolen Heritage

When the bureau’s Art Theft Program teamed up with a cultural anthropologist to investigate one man’s private collection, they began a yearslong project to return cultural objects and human remains to their rightful homes.
NASA anthropologist - Jack Stuster with a NASA space shuttle.

Can Anthropologists Propel Astronauts Toward Mars?

Space anthropologist Jack Stuster has interviewed and observed astronauts for decades. In a Q&A, Stuster tells journalist Amber Dance how he has worked closely with NASA to improve the human experience of space exploration.
Samoan tattoo - In Samoan communities, men traditionally receive a pe’a tattoo from mid-torso to knees as a marker of maturity.

How the Samoan Tattoo Survived Colonialism

A combination of factors, from geography to group identity, supported the endurance of this traditional body art—even as similar practices were lost in other cultures.
halloween history - Girl dressed in a Halloween costume for the celebration of Dia de los Muertos

How Halloween Has Traveled the Globe

Whether trick-or-treating in the United States or costume play celebrations in Japan, Allhallows Eve has taken many forms as its traditions travel the world.
Human fire use - Although researchers don’t agree on when humans first gained control over the use of fire, they do not dispute the fact that fire played an important role in shaping what it means to be human.

Uncovering Ancient Clues to Humanity’s First Fires

How and when our ancestors mastered the use of fire remains a hotly debated question. Researchers are hunting for answers buried in ancient ash and baked soils.