Could Group-Organized Violence Be Rooted in Empathy?

The evolution of empathy may have conferred both the advantage of mercy and the tradeoffs of killing.

Compassion Sets Humans Apart

Much attention has focused on the apparent violence in humanity’s distant past. But evidence of kindness and care is much more widespread.

Death and Dying 101

A study of cross-cultural attitudes toward mortality can help young people accept death as a part of life.

Schizophrenia’s Tangled Roots

As an increasingly complex picture of schizophrenia emerges, researchers are recognizing that a more individualized and humane approach is needed to better understand and treat the condition.

What Religious Beliefs Reveal About Post-Truth Politics

It’s not always what people believe, or why, that matters. Sometimes, the social relations surrounding those beliefs are what shape reality.

What Role Did Autism Play in Human Evolution?

Traits we often tend to disparage were—and arguably still are—critical to human communities.

Eating People Is Wrong—But It’s Also Widespread and Sacred

Can transcendence be attained by embracing the strongest taboo of all?

In a Genocide, Who Are the Morally Upright?

A Georgia State anthropologist explores what motivated rescuers during the Rwandan genocide—and what their stories reveal about courage and selflessness in the midst of total destruction.

Do You See What I See?

Cultural groups throughout the world talk about color differently—some don’t even have a word for color. So is color perception a universal human experience or not?

How to Host an Extraterrestrial

You might be a superb host to human guests, but if an alien showed up on your doorstep looking for some hospitality, would your usual offerings be enough?