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:…
Tag: Science
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…
What’s Behind the U.S. War on Science?
Thousands of demonstrators joined the March for Science in Washington, D.C., in 2017 against then-President Donald Trump’s attacks on science. Astrid Riecken/The Washington Post/Getty Images …
Chasing the Myths of Mexico’s “Superrunners”
Surrounded by torch-bearing supporters, runners kick a ball as part of a traditional rarajípare racing event practiced by the Rarámuri people of Mexico. Marcos Ferro On a mesa…
The World Health Organization (WHO): A Problem of Trust
Over the past twenty years or so, what has been the record of the World Health Organization when it comes to major public health crises? Has the WHO…
What Makes Injections Hard to Swallow?
Humanity’s long history with medicinal compounds might explain some of the preference for one delivery mechanism over another. Xathity Perm Prayochn/EyeEm/Getty Images If you’re watching …
An Archaeologist on the Railroad of Death
WWII Allied prisoners of war and civilian laborers worked in horrendous conditions to install a railway between Thailand and Burma. Australian War Memorial, P00406.026 In retrospect, I wa…
My Reflections Two Years After Surviving a Classroom Shooting
Today marks two years since a classroom shooting happened while teaching my final class at University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Six students were shot, two of which…
Archaeology in the Ashes of Notre Dame
The Notre Dame fire was devastating but has opened the door to research on building materials now available for study. Aurélia Azéma/Laboratoire de Recherche des Monuments Historiques The…
How Cellphones Make and Break Human Connections
Cellphones have become an integral part of many people’s lives. Towfiqu Barbhuiya/EyeEm/Getty Images Cellphones have come to occupy increasingly important roles in everyone’s lives, from …
Can Social Scientists Help Control Epidemics?
A poster in an Ebola response center breaks down the evolving response to the epidemic—including efforts to address social and cultural concerns. Annie Wilkinson On May 24, 2014,…