In Japan, the Philosophical Stance Against Having Children
An anthropologist delves beyond simplistic portrayals of the anti-natalist movement to understand what motivates its adherents.
Do Africa’s Mass Animal Migrations Extend Into Deep Time?
Isotopes in fossil teeth suggest ancient animals traveled less than once thought—making researchers rethink past human societies and future conservation.
Padi Nyawa Urang
A poet and aspiring anthropologist in Indonesia reflects on the values reflected in rice cultivation in a traditional village in Lebak, Banten, Indonesia.
Connections and Conflicts With Seals in a Scottish Archipelago
An environmental anthropologist investigates deep-time, mythical, and contemporary relations between seals and Orkney Islanders.
Sounding the Border
An anthropologist-poet listens to echoes of laughter and other sounds of crossings in Kashmir.
How Bird’s Nests Become Markers of Vitality and Status
An anthropologist explores how nests made from the saliva of swiftlets—long valued within some Asian medicinal and culinary traditions—have reached a growing global market.
90 Years Since Its Discovery, a Stone Age Human Still Holds Lessons
A paleoanthropologist reflects on England’s oldest human cranium—and what its changing interpretations say about science.
Following the Life of an Abandoned Bull in Nepal
A visual anthropologist explores how divine cattle collide with urban realities in Kathmandu, revealing contradictions between ancient values and contemporary lifeways.
Black, Pregnant, and Always Vigilant
A former National Health Service doctor and multidisciplinary scholar explores how Black women in the U.K. manage reproductive risks and anxieties.
The Sacred Heartbeat at Houston Pride
An anthropologist participates in the Houston Pride Parade, offering dance, music, and prayer with others to counter intensifying oppression faced by queer and Latine communities.
The Politics of Mourning After Itaewon
After the deadly 2022 Itaewon crowd crush, South Korea faced a failure of prevention—and mourning. A group of anthropologists explores how grief was managed, marginalized, and ultimately erased, raising questions about who we remember and why.
Dreamscapes of Refusal: A Chorus
SAPIENS poet-in-residence for 2025 listens to a chorus of dreams in her field recordings from Kashmir.
The Cost of Cutting Anthropology Out of U.S. National Parks
A former National Park Service anthropologist reflects on the vital role of cultural anthropology to the agency’s mission—and what might be lost if the Trump administration’s cuts to federal funding and staffing continue.
Ukrainian Volunteers Weave Camouflage and Care
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukrainians have been gathering to support the war effort by creating camouflage nets for fighters on the frontlines.
When Women Say “Ta-Ta” to Ta-Tas
An anthropologist fighting cancer navigates the social pressure to get breast reconstruction after a mastectomy.
In Human Origins Research, Communities Are the Missing Link
A paleoanthropologist reflects on relationships between researchers and communities living around sites relevant to human evolution.
Five Questions for Anand Pandian
In this live discussion, anthropologist Anand Pandian shares insights from his timely new book, Something Between Us: The Everyday Walls of American Life, and How to Take Them Down.
Cold-Water Swimming Brings New Life to Aging Bodies
A researcher dips into life at a community pool in Cambridge, England, to find out why so many people over 60 are finding joy and pleasure in a cold-water swim.
Surveillance and Suspicion From the Margins
A Venezuelan anthropologist reflects on distrust he felt from residents of informal settlements in Santiago, Chile—and how his experiences track global trends of fearing outsiders.
Surveillance et suspicion depuis les marges
Un anthropologue vénézuélien réfléchit sur la méfiance qu'il a ressentie de la part des habitants des quartiers informels de Santiago, au Chili—et à la manière dont ses expériences reflètent les tendances mondiales à craindre les étrangers.
Vigilância e suspeita nas margens
Um antropólogo venezuelano reflete sobre a desconfiança que sentiu por parte dos moradores de assentamentos informais em Santiago, no Chile—e como suas experiências acompanham as tendências globais de medo dos estrangeiros.
Vigilancia y sospecha desde los márgenes
Un antropólogo venezolano reflexiona sobre la desconfianza que sintió por parte de los pobladores de los asentamientos informales de Santiago de Chile —y cómo sus experiencias reflejan la tendencia global a temer a los extraños—.
The Power of Mistrust
A group of anthropologists working in Indonesia explores how mistrust among on-demand drivers—toward companies and one another—can be a form of individual power.
The Day I Heard My Mother’s Accent
In a personal essay, an anthropologist reflects on her family’s dual Syrian and French heritage.
The Myth of “Risk-Free” Gold
An anthropologist unpacks how colonial histories and racial and class hierarchies shape who is allowed to desire and accumulate gold today.
El mito del oro “libre de riesgo”
Una antropóloga analiza cómo la historia colonial y las jerarquías raciales y de clase determinan quién puede desear y acumular oro en la actualidad.
Le mythe de l’or « sans risque »
Une anthropologue explique comment l'histoire coloniale et les hiérarchies raciales et de classe déterminent qui a le droit de désirer et d'accumuler l'or aujourd'hui.
O mito do ouro “sem risco”
Uma antropóloga explica como as histórias coloniais e as hierarquias raciais e de classe moldam quem pode desejar e acumular ouro hoje em dia.
Reclaiming Tanzania’s Deep Past—Together
A U.S. archaeologist reflects on the power of community-driven research in Tanzania to include local voices and reshape how the story of human origins is told.
When Tiger Conservation Overlooks Human Lives
An anthropologist looks at how tiger conservation efforts in the Sundarbans region of West Bengal appear successful yet often ignore the needs and rights of forest-dwelling communities.
Five Questions for Brian Goldstone
In this live discussion, journalist and anthropologist Brian Goldstone answers questions about his searing investigation of the working unhoused—and what their stories reveal about the unraveling of the American Dream.
Archaeological Fiction and a Scientist’s Dilemma
An archaeologist reflects on the role of fiction, such as The Clan of the Cave Bear, to imagine the deep past—and inspire future generations of archaeologists.