Can Machine Learning Translate Ancient Egyptian Texts?
A new program aims to use AI to help academics and the public decipher hieroglyphs. Here’s an inside look at how—and whether—it works.
Essays
-
-
What the Discovery of Denisovan Remains in Laos Means
The new excavation of a fossil tooth places an enigmatic group of ancient humans in Southeast Asia 164,000 years ago.
-
Crystal Worl’s Countermural Tells a Different History of Alaska
Indigenous artist Crystal Kaakeeyáa Worl’s new public mural honoring Tlingit activist Elizabeth Peratrovich places Alaska Native peoples’ resistance to colonialism at the center of Juneau’s history.
-
Five Turning Points in the Evolution of Wine
Anthropologists have helped uncork the fascinating history of winemaking—from drunken primates to Stone Age seed domestication to intoxicating religious rites.
-
Cooking Debris in an Australian Cave Tells a Story of Resilience
An archaeological project in Australia investigates 65,000 years of food scraps to understand Aboriginal peoples’ resilience amid changing plant life, sea levels, and climate.
-
Do Children Need Special Foods?
An anthropologist slices through myths about “picky” eating and the biological necessity of kids’ foods, and reimagines ways to feed future generations.