Research has overturned earlier claims that a diminutive human relative, Homo floresiensis, lit fires—but big stories die hard. SMOKING HOT…
Piecing Together the Puzzle of Oman’s Ancient TowersIn recent years, the Omani government has invested in archaeology and heritage tourism to boost its economy—renewing interest in mysterious…
Why Store 41,000 Bison Bones?An archaeologist explains why a museum keeps so many bones from the Jones-Miller site, an ice age bison kill on…
What Bigfoot Teaches Us About Public Mistrust of ScienceIn the 1960s, credentialed scientists, including physical anthropologists, hunted for the legendary Sasquatch. How did they fall for the hoax?…
Slow Death by VolcanoA biocultural anthropologist shares new research on the surprising long-term hazards of volcanoes in Iceland—and how to address them. THE…
Picturing the Deep Universe Is Deeply HumanThe James Webb Space Telescope’s stunning photos require extensive image processing—revealing as much about humanity as about the universe. In…
Did Humanity Really Arise in One Place?New evidence is prompting researchers to rethink Homo sapiens’ origin story—and what it means to be human. ✽ As a…
When Coffee Is Like Angel Cake With Strawberry JamAn anthropologist delves into the rarefied ritualistic world of specialty coffee, where highly trained brewers and judges compete to determine…
What Cargo Cult Rituals Reveal About Human NatureIn Melanesia, Indigenous communities developed elaborate rituals to bring themselves material wealth starting in the late 19th century. These practices…
Why AI Will Never Fully Capture Human LanguageResearchers in artificial intelligence have made extraordinary strides in mimicking human language—but they still can’t capture the parts that truly…
