An archaeologist recounts collaborations with geneticists to map the 6,000-year ancestry of Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean.

An anthropologist dives into the world of genetic engineering to explore whether gene-editing tools such as CRISPR fulfill the hope of redesigning our species for the better.

Researchers recently announced a discovery that connects Neanderthal DNA and people who experience severe symptoms from COVID-19. Hugo Zeberg, one of the scientists who led the study, speaks with SAPIENS host Chip Colwell.

The coronavirus pandemic is unequally affecting minority communities in the U.K. and the U.S. Racism, not race, explains the disparity.

For over 300 years, socially defined notions of “race” have shaped human lives around the globe—but the category has no biological foundation.

These members of the genus Homo have long occupied two different branches on the family tree. But now that researchers think these groups interbred, scholars are giving serious consideration to whether we are the same species after all.

Here’s why satellite imagery, lidar scans, ancient DNA analyses, and more are helping scientists break open the past. 

With whom did Neanderthals mate? In some cases, inbreeding looks likely.

A fragment of a hominin skull adds to the sparse collection from our obscure cousins.

We’ve all been taught that human fertilization is an Olympic-style competition. The truth is that it’s much more like a gigantic lottery.