Does DNA Simplify or Complicate Repatriation Claims?
University of Cape Town archaeologist Simon Hall leads a visit to the farm in Sutherland, South Africa, from which the remains of several individuals were taken a century…
Tag: Science
The Humans We Haven’t Met Yet
At the Sima de los Huesos (“Pit of the Bones”) archaeological site in Spain, researchers recovered DNA from 417,000-year-old hominin fossils that may be the ancestors of Neanderthals.…
The Blockbuster Exhibit That Shouldn’t Have Been
Museum professionals often point to the 1972 to 1981 Treasures of Tutankhamun tour as the beginning of the blockbuster exhibit era, in which museums host exhibitions that appeal…
Repatriation Has Transformed, Not Ended, Research
“Wheel,” by the Cheyenne-Arapaho artist Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds is situated outside the Denver Art Museum. The artwork evokes Indigenous peoples’ efforts to counter…
The Sisters of Loretto Share a Kinship With the Earth
The Sisters of Loretto, a women’s religious community, prioritize environmental stewardship at their working farm in rural Kentucky. Cody Rakes This month, global delegates have been gath…
“Of Peccaries and People: Perception and Politics in the Texas Hill Country” RAI Anthropology and Conservation Conference Talk 2021
On October 27, I presented some of my preliminary research at the Royal Anthropological Institute’s 2021 Anthropology and Conservation conference at the “Living with Diversity in a More-t…
Five Breakthrough Signs of Early Peoples in the Americas
A lot of ink has been spilled in archaeological debates about the human occupation of the continents known today as North and South America. When did people arrive?…
“Of People and Peccaries: Perception and Politics in the Texas Hill Country” Transcript (RAI Anthropology and Conservation 2021)
Presentation Slides: Of People and Peccaries PresentationDownload INTRODUCTION On my first day of fieldwork, I climbed a steep hill where my collaborator, Roger, reported a group of javelina…
Did an Asteroid Shape This Famous Biblical Story?
Ancient ruins show the cosmic impact’s destruction layer about midway down exposed walls. Phil Silvia This article was originally published at The Conversation and has been republished un…
Did Aliens Build the Pyramids? And Other Racist Theories
The Egyptian pyramids are a focal point for conspiracy theories about alien intervention. Sheilapic76/Flickr One afternoon in June, I found an email in my inbox from Atlantis Rising:…
Archaeology’s Role in Finding Missing Indigenous Children in Canada
A memorial of 104 orange hearts, created by the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation’s Tiwahe (family) Services, stands in honor of missing children from the Brandon Indian Residential School…
A Rat’s Journey There and Back Again
In early August of this year, my partner and I took a much needed vacation to South Padre Island. While visiting, we decided to go snorkeling in Laguna…
How Pottery Offers Glimpses Into Ancient Foodways
[no-caption] The Archaeological Mission in the Sahara This article was originally published at Knowable Magazine and has been republished under Creative Commons. Unearthed from the graves…
Will Bog Archaeology Fade Away?
Archaeologists excavate a bog in Hatfield Moors, England, to uncover Late Stone Age structures. Henry Chapman In the southernmost tip of Sweden, just over an hour from neighboring…
“Stop the Shot”: Resistance through Science, Religion, and Law
On August 4, an interesting event took place: “Stop the Shot”. This was a video press conference organized by the Truth for Health Foundation in the US, which…
Haunted by My Teaching Skeleton
Museum storage facilities, such as this one in Germany, often hold the remains of human beings. Jens Büttner/Picture Alliance/Getty Images There is something unsettling about being alone …
Five Questions for Anna Goldfield
In this free live event, Yoli Ngandali, SAPIENS Media & Public Outreach Fellow, asks Anna Goldfield five questions about human evolutionary biology and Neanderthals. Anna Goldfield holds a Ph.D.…
Stop Calling the Aleutians Pristine
Most of the Aleutian Islands are today unpopulated. Ariel Taivalkoski The Aleutian Islands, which stretch 1,100 miles across the Bering Sea from the Alaska Peninsula, are commonly describ…
What Do Goats and Wars Have to Do With Glacier Loss?
A local guide stands near Shali Kangri glacier in the Ladakh region of the Indian Himalayas. Hélène Lapierre-Messier For scientists, the layers of ice that make up glaciers…
What Misspellings Reveal About Cultural Evolution
[no-caption] DrAfter123/Getty Images Something about me must remind people of a blind 17th-century poet. My last name, Miton, is French, yet people outside of France invariably misspell i…
Five Ways Humans Evolved to be Athletes
The coming Olympics will showcase some of the most extraordinary human feats of strength, speed, and agility. As an archaeologist who focuses on the development of the human…
Fieldwork Diary July 8-9, 2021
I am conducting research across Texas on Human and javelina relations. I am interested in how humans and other animals negotiate space at sites of encounter. During this…
Tiny Snails Help Solve a Giant Mystery
People must regularly repair and rechalk the Cerne Abbas Giant, or “Rude Man,” in Dorset, England, to prevent it from becoming overgrown, carrying on a practice that stretches…
How to Work With a Developmental Editor
[no-caption] Rawpixel/Getty Images Ask SAPIENS is a series that offers a glimpse into the magazine’s inner workings. I sometimes shudder to think of my authors’ faces when they…