SAPIENS

Anthropology Magazine

Features

A large crowd of protestors fills a plaza and the surrounding streets at night. An enormous red and white flag floats over some of the participants.
Viewpoint

“The State” Is a Story We Tell Ourselves

By Danny Pinedo

After a nail-biting election that dragged on for weeks, officials have finally named Peru’s next president. An anthropologist explains the country’s recent upheavals and shows how nation-states are “ideological artifacts” that attribute morality to the amoral goings on of the government.

An athlete in mid-stride dressed in blue tights and a tank top prepares to throw the javelin in a large, well-lit sports arena.
Pastimes

The Evolution of Throwing

By Marta Zaraska

Homo sapiens has a throwing arm that sets our species apart from all others—now athletes are helping anthropologists understand this prowess.