How Did Belief Evolve?
An anthropologist traces the development of Homo sapiens’ most creative and destructive force, from the making of stone tools to the rise of religions.
Art
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Why Targeting Heritage Is a Crime Against Humanity
Trump’s threats to Iran’s cultural treasures are the latest in a long history of such tactics. Thousands of artistic and architectural marvels have been destroyed in wars—a travesty that must be stopped.
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Is Artificial Intelligence Magic?
What does the anthropology of magic reveal about how people create and use AI?
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The Hidden Color Code in Mimbres Pottery
Patterned markings on some Southwestern pots in the U.S. may have been used to symbolize color in black-and-white arts.
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Are Colors Universal?
How do language, biology, and culture shape an individual’s experience of color? A journalist investigates the anthropological debate about whether color is a human universal.
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What Do Monuments Reveal About Their Makers?
An archaeologist ponders memorials—from the Monti gate to the Taj Mahal—and finds clues about the reasons people want to be remembered.