While the magazine has closed, its living archive endures—open to all and preserving the many ideas, voices, and discoveries that deepen our understanding of what it means to be human.
An anthropologist explores the brave new world of virtual warfare—and the fraught relationship between humans and machines.
The Cultural Anxieties of XenotransplantationA genetically engineered pig heart was transplanted to a human body for the first time this year. While many celebrated, others remain uneasy. Anthropologists can shed light on why.
The Nightmare of Pandemic-Era TeachingTwo researchers pull the curtain back to provide a look at the alarming reality of elementary teachers in the United States who are working during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Raiding Graves—Not to Rob but to RememberTwo archaeologists offer surprising new data suggesting people in medieval Europe took items from graves as heirlooms.
Five New Year’s Rituals of RenewalAn anthropologist explores a range of cultural celebrations around the world to mark the new year. Spoiler alert: They don’t all fall on January 1.
The Emotional Logic of a Black Poetics: Truth, Metaphor, Beauty, JoyIn this free live event, SAPIENS poet-in-residence for 2020–2021 Justin D. Wright celebrates the end of their residency with a discussion of Black poetics and anthropological poetry.
I Carry My Grief With Me, but I Also Carry My JoyThe domino effect of anguish and loss unmoors, but a Black poet-anthropologist carries their joy as ritual—in the palms of their hands, soft, delicate.
Lessons We LearnAn anthropologist-poet of the African diaspora holds close family lessons on identity, freedom, and relationship in the midst of an anti-Black society.
WindowA poet-anthropologist of the African diaspora gives voice to the power of collective memory and place.
ElderA poet-anthropologist of the African diaspora travels from a northern city to his ancestral home in the rural U.S. South—both as a memory and a belonging.
