Table of contents
Announcement

After ten years of exploring humanity in all its diversity, SAPIENS has concluded its publishing chapter.

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.

The Cookout (and All Other Manners of Heavenly Black Things)

An anthropologist’s poem crafts a dream of freedom, peace, and joyous celebration for Black folks who have died as a result of anti-Black and anti-queer violence.

Ancient Beer Is Craft’s New Frontier

Scientists are partnering with brewers to taste test ancient recipes and sip a long-lost past.

When at Home, Bake as the Romans Baked

Experimental archaeologist Farrell Monaco takes pandemic-era baking into the deep past by re-creating ancient Roman bread.

Pandemic Bakers Bring the Past to Life

As people sheltering at home take on ambitious kitchen projects, a few experimental archaeologists are reclaiming recipes from ancient societies.

What Parsnips Taught Me About Nature

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 Archaeology Explain the Bread Baking Craze?

An archaeological look at the history of cuisine changes illuminates why the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted America’s new bread obsession—and whether it will last.

Why Are There So Many Humans?

The populations of the great apes were once nearly equal. Now, one great ape species—Homo sapiens—outnumbers the rest by almost 8 billion. How did we do it?

How Kings Created Angkor Wat—Then Lost It

New archaeological research reveals that leaders centralized agriculture in the famous city shortly before its decline.

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.

How Eating Rat Stew Serves Hobbit Research

Researchers are feasting on giant Indonesian rodents to uncover clues about hobbit-like hominins.