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.
Anthropologist Sabine Hyland attempts to uncover the messages held in twisted and colored Andean cords called khipus.
Should the Story of Homo’s Dispersal Out of Africa Be Rewritten?A new finding suggests hominins left the African continent at least 500,000 years earlier than previously thought.
What Do Monuments Reveal About Their Makers?An archaeologist ponders memorials—from the Monti gate to the Taj Mahal—and finds clues about the reasons people want to be remembered.
The Anthropologists Who Undid Sex, Race, and GenderIn Gods of the Upper Air, a biographer reveals how anthropologist Franz Boas and his students helped transform how human differences and similarities are perceived.
The Knotty Question of When Humans Made the Americas HomeA deluge of new findings are challenging long-held scientific narratives of how humans came to North and South America.
Archaeology of the 99 PercentThe vast majority of people in antiquity were too poor to leave many artifacts behind. But archaeologists have learned how to look beyond temples and palaces.
Remembering the Forgotten Chinese Railroad WorkersArchaeologists help modern descendants of Chinese railroad laborers commemorate their ancestors.
Can Anthropologists Propel Astronauts Toward Mars?Space anthropologist Jack Stuster has interviewed and observed astronauts for decades. In a Q&A, Stuster tells journalist Amber Dance how he has worked closely with NASA to improve the human experience of space exploration.
Are Trophy Skulls Evidence of Civil War Among the Classic Maya?Macabre artifacts hint at regional conflicts around the time of the Maya civilization’s disintegration.
When Black Female Victims Aren’t Seen as VictimsIn Peru, rampant stereotypes about Afro-Peruvian women as aggressive and hypersexual leaves many women unwilling or unable to seek support as victims of abuse.
