Anthropology
Busting the Easter Island myth: there was no civilization collapse
For decades, researchers have proposed that climate change and human-caused environmental destruction led to demographic collapse on Easter Island. That's probably false, according to new research.
Discovered: 78,000 years ago, the oldest known burial ritual in Africa
How do archaeologists know if someone was buried intentionally tens of thousands of years ago?
Mysterious “Plain of Jars” in Laos has been dated
After years of speculation a team of researchers has pinpointed the age of this ancient mystery.
An ‘indiscriminate’ massacre: Study examines why 41 people were killed 6,200 years ago
"Large-scale indiscriminate killing is a horror that is not just a feature of the modern and historic periods, but was also a significant process in pre-state societies," the researchers wrote.
Turns out those aren’t the apostle St James’s bones after all
Research shows that bone fragments of Jesus's (possible) brother belong to someone else.
Ornamental dinosaur frills seem to have evolved thanks to sexual selection
While other factors exist, sexual prowess appears to have helped determine the role of Protoceratops frills.
How high did our ancestors get? We might soon be able to tell.
Traces of heroin and cocaine have been found in the tartar of 19th-century Dutch farmers.
Early humans may have hibernated—a discovery that could be the key to space travel
New anthropological research suggests our ancestors enjoyed long slumbers.
New DNA evidence rewrites Caribbean history
Two new studies shed light on who first inhabited the islands, who replaced them, and how few people lived there.
Ancient Puebloans used ice caves to survive droughts
Carbon dating allows us to know exactly when ice was melted for drinking water in pre-Columbian America.
An ancient migration across the ocean was no accident
A new study shows that at least one long-ago journey would have required deliberate navigation.
What the Greek classics tell us about grief and the importance of mourning the dead
The rites we give to the dead help us understand what it takes to go on living.
Eighth century pagan temple to Old Norse gods unearthed in Norway
Rare structures and artifacts of the Viking religion practiced centuries prior to Christianity's introduction have been uncovered by archaeologists in Norway, including a "god house."
Moral failings of leaders collapsed even the best societies, study finds
Researchers found a common element in the destruction of even the most powerful empires.
Researchers discover intact brain cells of man killed by Mt Vesuvius eruption
The young man died nearly 2,000 years ago in the volcanic eruption that buried Pompeii.
Did our early ancestors boil their food in hot springs?
Scientists have found evidence of hot springs near sites where ancient hominids settled, long before the control of fire.
‘Viking’ was likely a job title among diverse people, says DNA study
"The results change the perception of who a Viking actually was," said project leader Professor Eske Willerslev.
Are mental health disorders ever purely biological?
Two anthropologists question the chemical imbalance theory of mental health disorders.
Why are there so many humans?
Having lots of kids is great for the success of the species. But there's a hitch.
48,000-year-old bone arrowheads and jewelry discovered in Sri Lankan cave
Artifacts uncovered in southeast Asia offer clues on early complex human cultures.
Neanderthal bones: Signs of their sex lives
Inbreeding leads to a problematically small gene pool.
Algorithms associating appearance and criminality have a dark past
We'd like to think that judging people's worth based on the shape of their head is a practice that's behind us.
Remains of first modern humans in Europe found
The discovery may change what we know about early humans in Europe.
What did Ancient Romans do without toilet paper?
Many of the bathrooms uncovered at Pompeii and elsewhere were communal.
Eating fish may have given Neanderthals brainpower
A new finding suggests Neanderthals were far from the big dumb brutes we make them out to be.
How geocachers navigate fear in the urban woods
Because geocaches are always hidden out of sight, players often have to behave in out-of-the-ordinary ways to reach them.
Personality is not only about who but also where you are
What if patience, and maybe other personality features too, are more a product of where we are than who we are?
Strangeness and surprise
A review of Matthew Engelke's How to Think Like an Anthropologist.
Heartbeats align during an Islamic ritual, new study finds
Researchers found that the hearts of Sufi devotees harmonized as one during a mystical practice. And this isn't the first study to show heart synchronization between people.