One anthropologist’s research on Community Supported Agriculture—which saw him wrestling with parsnips and talking to leeks—spurs thoughts on closing the gap between Western urban life and the natural world.
Can an “Invasive Species” Earn the Right to Stay?An anthropologist applies the practice of “multispecies ethnography” to study a controversial, flourishing population of macaques on Florida’s Silver River.
Could the Coronavirus Pandemic Be Good for the Environment?Archaeological research into environmental impacts of the Black Death in Eurasia and historic pandemics among Native Americans during European colonization may provide answers to possible impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.
Are Pandemics Good for the Environment?An anthropologist looks at past disease outbreaks to consider how the COVID-19 crisis may—or may not—benefit the environment.
How Kings Created Angkor Wat—Then Lost ItNew archaeological research reveals that leaders centralized agriculture in the famous city shortly before its decline.
Searching for the Sources of Water ScarcityAn anthropologist’s extensive study of water scarcity in Mumbai reveals how such crises are often driven less by nature’s limits and more by human choices.
Do I Have Microremains in My Teeth?Tiny particles called “microremains” that get trapped in dental plaque tell a story of long ago diets and ecosystems.
The Enduring Mystery of the Human-Horse StoryNew archaeological research sheds light on early horse domestication.
BlindedA SAPIENS poetry contest winner peers through imagination’s angled lens to consider a city that is both visible—and invisible.
Why Did Passenger Pigeons Go Extinct?A new archaeological study seeks to answer the question about what led to the bird species’ demise.
