In the Land of the Mammoth Eaters

One archaeological site in Texas has yielded an astonishing amount of evidence that people have been in North America for over 15,000 years.

How Fracking’s Appetite for Sand Is Devouring Rural Communities

Small towns in western Wisconsin are being divided by a little-known mining boom. An anthropologist who lives in the region set out to understand why.

Combatting Stereotypes About Appalachian Dialects

Far from being “the rude language of the mountains,” the diversity of Appalachian dialects reveals a complex history of cultural change.

Why the “Big, Beautiful Wall” Is Doomed to Fail

The existing wall in Ambos Nogales tells us a great deal about President Trump’s ill-conceived plan to fortify the entire U.S.-Mexico border.

The Transformation of One of New York City’s Most Famous Squats

The notorious C-squat has become a kind of “house society” in which people are tied together by their connection to shared property and communal history. But can it survive going legit?

Gold Glimmers in the Amazon

Daily life in the remote gold-mining camps of the Amazonian rainforest is difficult, dirty, and sometimes treacherous. But that’s only part of the story.

Trump and the Echo of Amache

Donald Trump’s disturbing anti-Muslim rhetoric echoes an ugly chapter in U.S. history: the time leading up to the incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II.

North Dakota Access Pipeline Protests Spark Historic Declaration

U.S. government departments press pause on pipeline construction and call for serious talks on reform of the consultation process with Native American tribes for extensive infrastructure projects.

Roux and Resilience: Eleven Years After Hurricane Katrina

Big bayou families knew cooking and sharing food could help them cope after disaster struck, but the recovery machine got in the way, creating a second, less visible crisis.

How Did We Ever Live Without GPS?

GPS is everywhere these days, but if it suddenly disappeared all would not be lost: We’ve been making cognitive maps for eons.