Did Margaret Mead Think a Healed Femur Was the Earliest Sign of Civilization?

An anthropologist digs into the origins of a popular story attributed to Margaret Mead about the original sign of civilization.

Living With the Prospect of Assisted Dying

In a culture that valorizes battling for life until the very end, a man diagnosed with ALS grapples with what it means to stop fighting.

Is Donated Blood a Gift or a Commodity?

An anthropologist dives into the morally fraught blood and plasma industry and what it reveals about human societies—the good, the bad, and the gory.

We Should Talk More About the Abortion Pill

The abortion pill revolutionized activists’ fight for reproductive rights in Ireland in the 2000s—but in the U.S., cultural narratives have been slow to catch up to how medication has transformed abortion access.

Nurturing Autism Acceptance in Indonesia

Two new films based on ethnographic research follow autistic Indonesian youth and their families as they seek and create new networks of care and support.

At the Limits of Cure for Tuberculosis

In a new book, anthropologist Bharat Venkat reflects on the history of tuberculosis, a seemingly curable yet increasingly deadly disease.

How Dr. Li Wenliang Went From a Whistleblower to a National Hero

The Chinese doctor who tried to warn the world about the coronavirus but was silenced by authorities—and soon died of the virus—has become a protagonist in a nationalist tale about the Chinese Communist Party’s successful pandemic response.

What Chimpanzees Know About Giving Medicine

New observations of chimpanzees in Gabon lead researchers to wonder if the tendency to medicate ourselves and others really is unique to humans.

The Cultural Anxieties of Xenotransplantation

A genetically engineered pig heart was transplanted to a human body for the first time this year. While many celebrated, others remain uneasy. Anthropologists can shed light on why.

Haunted by My Teaching Skeleton

Many skeletons that students use to learn about the human body are the remains of people with lives and stories. We need to remember and respect that.