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.
Humans have crafted garments for more than 40,000 years—and prehistoric tools suggest that warmth wasn’t their only concern.
Who Decided It Was Bad to Be Fat?Westerners have long shunned obese people, and this attitude now pervades much of the globe. Was this always the case?
Why Don’t More Humans Eat Bugs?Around the world, at least two billion people routinely consume insects. One anthropologist believes geography and colonization can explain why some populations are too squeamish to stomach such foods.
As Seas Rise, Ancient Footprints Are RevealedCoastlines around the world boast hints of ancient humans who gathered and traveled along the edges of the world, where land meets sea.
How Human Smarts EvolvedBy counting the number of neurons in brains, one scientist revolutionized our view of why Homo sapiens and nonhuman primates are so much smarter than other animals.
Following a New Trail of Crumbs to Agriculture’s OriginsArchaeologists have found tiny pieces of ancient bread from hunter-gatherers that predate agriculture by about 4,000 years.
A Radical New Theory About the Origins of ArtArchaeologists are tapping cutting-edge neuroscience and psychology research to figure out how our ancestors began making figurative art.
In the Land of the Mammoth EatersOne archaeological site in Texas has yielded an astonishing amount of evidence that people have been in North America for over 15,000 years.
What the Archaeology of Night RevealsStudying ancient peoples’ nocturnal lives shows us why we should begin working to reclaim the darkness.
Why This Paleolithic Burial Site Is So Strange (and So Important)An ancient interment site in Russia challenges us to rethink how Paleolithic humans in Europe treated their dead and organized their societies.
