The Death of a Hungry God

The electrocution of a wild elephant in a village in northeast India illustrates how these formidable beings are experienced as both animal and deity.

The Chinese History That Is Written in Bone

The bones of 3,000-year-old sacrificial victims in China are revealing unexpected new twists.

Why Do So Many People Want to Die?

A veteran scholar contemplates the origins of the peculiarly human phenomenon of suicide.

Why Are Humans Violent?

From fights over a parking space, to marauding bands of outlaws, to global conflicts, we seem to be a violent…

How Culture Allows for War and Peace

The evolution of uniquely human cognitive abilities gave us the means to wage war—as well as the capacity to avoid it.

How Culture Shapes Perceptions of Miscarriage

Pregnancy loss is a common part of women’s reproductive lives. Learning how women in different cultures process the experience can help all of us find meaning in misfortune.

Skeleton Sex Pots

An unusual container produced by the Moche civilization of Peru raises many questions about their society—and our own views of sex.

The Darkest Truths

After the Nazis’ three so-called Operation Reinhard camps swallowed more than a million and a half Jewish lives, the camps were themselves destroyed. Forensic archaeologists are finally exploring what lies beneath the earth—but not without resistance.