Wildfire Archaeology and the Burning American West

Archaeologists in New Mexico are pioneering surprising research methods—involving tree rings, pottery, and blasts of light—to explain why wildfire suppression doesn’t work.

The Public Problem With Counterterrorism

Ethnographic research with people who have survived terrorist attacks and with those who protect the public reveals how little these two groups understand each other.

The Dead Must Be Counted

An unknown number of people who die from COVID-19, like migrants who die during perilous journeys, are left out of governments’ official death counts.

Communities Grapple With Exposure to “Forever Chemicals”

Toxic chemicals known as PFAS pollute the water at more than 2,000 sites across the U.S.—and reside in the bodies of most Americans. How do residents cope with contamination?

Will U.S. University Students Spread COVID-19?

Universities are planning to open across the United States with strategies based on fantasy documents and magical thinking.

Police Violence and the Pandemic

An interview with anthropologist Laurence Ralph, who wrote The Torture Letters, reveals how legacies of anti-black racism connect to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Is the Pandemic a Chance to Challenge Global Inequality?

A Pakistani anthropologist who studies the perilous journeys of irregular migrants argues for reimagining ways to close the gap between the rich and poor, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. Coronavirus Advice Is Failing Pregnant Women

An anthropologist explores how her current study of COVID-19 and childbirth reveals profound and amplified problems with the United States’ maternity system.

Could COVID-19 Permanently Change Hand Hygiene?

An anthropologist tackles the slippery subject of hand sanitization in a world torn between concerns over contagion and antibiotic resistance.

Why Face Masks Are Going Viral

As the new coronavirus epidemic spreads, more and more people are wearing surgical masks—despite their questionable effectiveness. An anthropologist explores the reasons why.