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.
One political anthropologist considers whether a “no-contact” approach to remote Indigenous peoples may—in the long run—lead to unforeseen risks.
What Google Maps Don’t Show YouThe long history of Native American tribes is nowhere to be found on modern maps. So the Zuni decided it was time to create their own kind of cartography.
The Skeletons in the Museum ClosetCan natural history museums justify their collections of human remains?
Why Are So Many Guatemalans Migrating to the U.S.?As poverty and violence force Guatemalans to leave their country, one anthropologist reflects on her work with Indigenous peoples in the highlands—and shows how the U.S. is implicated in its own “migrant crisis.”
The Oldest True Stories in the WorldEvidence gathered in recent years shows that some ancient narratives contain remarkably reliable records of real events.
The Mastodon in the RoomAs new discoveries shake up the timeline of when people first came to the Americas, how do we decide what’s true?
How an Archaeological Experiment Revealed California’s Ancient PastComplex toolmaking strategies were the heart of survival on San Nicolas Island.
Why Are Some Caves Full of Shoes?An archaeologist explores how shoes have embodied our identities through the ages.
The Incas’ Knotty HistoryImagine a simple three-dimensional object that uses mathematics, history, accounting, and language to keep track of an amazing array of information. The Inca invented one over 500 years ago in Peru.
What Clam Thermometers Tell Us About Past ClimatesScientists are taking an unusual approach to studying how Native Alaskans lived and hunted thousands of years ago—and how they may have adapted to climate change.
