Featured Archived
Seasons Episodes
Table of contents
Introduction 0 Why Write for the Public? 1 What to Expect, from Pitch to Publication 2 How to Write a Pitch 3 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 1: Structure 4 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 2: Style 5 Navigating Ethics and Reducing Harms 6 Habits of Thriving Public Anthropologists 7 Cultivating the Craft of Writing 8
Table of contents
Introduction 0 Why Write for the Public? 1 What to Expect, from Pitch to Publication 2 How to Write a Pitch 3 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 1: Structure 4 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 2: Style 5 Navigating Ethics and Reducing Harms 6 Habits of Thriving Public Anthropologists 7 Cultivating the Craft of Writing 8
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.

Why the Whiteness of Archaeology Is a Problem

Archaeology remains a profession with an overwhelmingly white workforce. Two archaeologists ask why that matters and what can be done about it.

Hush-Hush, a Pale-Horse Cometh: Mirabilis Manducat

An anthropologist traces a lineage of plague, silence, anti-Black racism, white supremacy, and cities.

One

An anthropological poem journeys to the eye of the storm to understand how “race” has no biological basis—and is instead rooted in discrimination. What future for our species?

The FBI’s Repatriation of Stolen Heritage

When the bureau’s Art Theft Program teamed up with a cultural anthropologist to investigate one man’s private collection, they began a yearslong project to return cultural objects and human remains to their rightful homes.

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?

Rethinking Easter Island’s Historic “Collapse”

Controversial new archaeological research casts doubt on a classic theory of this famous island’s societal collapse.

Unearthing the True Toll of the Tulsa Race Massacre

With the 99th anniversary at hand, a community works with archaeologists to answer longstanding questions about a brutal tragedy.

Why Capitalize “Indigenous”?

The Associated Press Stylebook and The Chicago Manual of Style do not capitalize the term Indigenous when it is used to refer to people. But SAPIENS does. The editorial team explains why.

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.