Remembering the Woman Who Was My Second Mother in Cuba

Upon the death of her friend and childhood nanny in Cuba, an anthropologist reflects on the gifts exchanged over decades of reunion amid cultural and economic changes on the island.

What Migrants Leave Behind

Piles of backpacks, empty water jugs, and even high heels left scattered on migrant trails leave visible markers of the desperation and endurance of those who traveled there.

Being Afghan in America: In the Field With Morwari Zafar

The U.S. invasion and occupation of Afghanistan has had surprising effects on Afghan-American communities, especially in enclaves like Fremont, California.

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 Mastodon in the Room

As new discoveries shake up the timeline of when people first came to the Americas, how do we decide what’s true?

The End of the World As We Know It

How do our societies change in the face of apocalypse, and what can we do to ensure our survival?

Peeling Back the History of the Banana

Banana domestication began some 7,000 years ago, but researchers are only now piecing together the global journey of the beloved yellow fruit.

As Seas Rise, Ancient Footprints Are Revealed

Coastlines around the world boast hints of ancient humans who gathered and traveled along the edges of the world, where land meets sea.

The Trauma of Helping Asylum-Seekers

U.S. asylum policies inflict deep pain, not only on those facing deportation but also on those who do the legal aid work to help them stay.

The Race to Recover South America’s Ancient Past

In the face of development pressure and climate change, researchers are toiling to find and preserve ancient sites in Peru that hold clues to how people first traversed a continent.