All stories

A group of people stand on an emptied dirt plot around a square hole. The one in the center, with lighter skin than the rest, holds the end of a shovel in the hole.

Unearthing the Origins of Plantation Slavery on São Tomé

The African island nation played a central—but little-known—role in the rise of the global sugar trade based on enslaved labor. To uncover this past, a team launched the country’s first archaeological research.
Two black-haired chimpanzees lie on the dirt ground in front of a blurred background of brown rocks and green, leafy trees.

Spend a Day Tracking Chimpanzees

A series of short videos captures a rare view into the lives of wild chimps through the eyes of a researcher.
An adult with short hair, a mustache, and glasses, and two young people with long hair held by barrettes—one holding a pen—sit on the floor around a large piece of construction paper, markers, and a camera.

Through Film, Discovering Hope in the Face of Environmental Destruction

In the midst of acute eco-anxiety, can community-based filmmaking help young people imagine a different future?
A person with blonde hair wearing a pink blazer stands at a podium with several microphones on it and a sign that reads, “Protect Children’s Innocence.” Several people in suits stand behind, with a large white domed building in the background.

Two Myths Fueling the Conservative Right’s Dangerous Transphobia

An anthropologist attends the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC)—ground zero for the current onslaught of anti-trans rhetoric and legislation in the U.S.
Lying on their side, a person with a blonde ponytail wears a blue shirt and black jeans and points a camera at a gravestone.

Can Digitizing Gravestones Save History?

An anthropologist is digitizing gravestones at Burial Hill, a historic cemetery in Plymouth, Massachusetts, that holds the remains of some of the first Pilgrims. Documenting these unique records and making them accessible also provokes necessary questions about preserving colonial histories.
A team of people wear gloves and work around a large square hole in the dirt. Some dig, one takes notes, and two hold up a wooden frame in the background.

With the Fall of a Tree, Archaeology Returns to Liberia

Following a devastating Civil War, archaeologists are helping Liberia rewrite a more inclusive history and forge a more diverse future.
A photograph features a narrow street lined with tall white and beige buildings. Left of the photo’s center, a large telephone pole has numerous wires extending from it.

In Lebanon, Solar Power Is Booming. Why?

An anthropologist explores whether Lebanese turning to solar power is a story of resilience, environmental triumph, or something else.
A photograph features a seaside cluster of small white and teal boats filled with miscellaneous objects parked on the sand around white plastic chairs. The chairs are arranged around a wooden table that holds jars, cups, and bowls.

Fishing in the Shadow of Oil

In the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, fishing communities have become part of a complex “assemblage” of human and natural worlds shaped by the global fossil fuel industry.
Two adults and two children in brightly patterned clothing carry wooden jugs across a sandy setting scattered with clusters of green grass.

A Somali Archaeologist Is Championing Heritage in the Horn of Africa

An interview with Sada Mire dives into the difficulties and rewards of preserving history and letting local perspectives guide heritage management in Somalia and Somaliland.
A person holds the handle of a frying pan filled with a yellow stew on a gas stovetop.

Confronting Xenophobia Through Food—and Comics

An anthropologist who migrated from India to the U.K. uses his research to illustrate how fellow migrants from India maintain cultural heritage through hard-to-find ingredients.
A close-up shot shows a hand gripping a live bullfrog by its back legs.

Looking Into the World of Frog Gigging

Hunting rituals have long been a focus of anthropological analysis. An ethnographer explores how hunting frogs for meat using gigs, or multipronged spears, is a beloved family tradition in some parts of the U.S.
A black-and-white picture shows a woman carrying a baby in a front harness looking at two people examining objects on the floor of a cave under a standing light.

Impossible Choices at the Crossroads of Motherhood and Fieldwork

Two anthropologists who’ve conducted fieldwork while being pregnant or new moms bravely share their personal experiences and call for family-friendly work cultures that align with human evolution.
A person stands and writes notes in a shallow part of a lake full of lily pads that may have been part of the Indigenous ice age route. Trees and reeds rise beside and behind them.

Revealing an Ice Age Route for Indigenous Peoples

Hiking through swamps, cutting across thick bush, and canoeing across open waters, archaeologists have identified a corridor through Vancouver Island where Indigenous peoples may have sojourned 18,500 years ago.
A large black tire and rusted metal mining equipment sit on brown grass under a cloudy sky.

How Will We Remember Coal?

Anticipating a new energy future, an anthropologist returns home to contemplate what lessons we will learn from the coal industry’s material remains and monuments.
A group of people stand in a bright, dry valley measuring the ground and surveying the land around them.

Raising Up African Paleoanthropologists

Generations of scholars from around the world have converged to study human evolution in East Africa. Now a new training program seeks to bring more African students into the field.
A man in an assisted living facility has his legs bandaged by two health care professionals as they prepare to evacuate him in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

Can Anthropology Help Heal Puerto Rico’s Diabetes Crisis?

Anthropological studies show the potential impact of community care and creative policies in improving health care in Puerto Rico.