Social Sciences
The social sciences study cultural artifacts, innovations, language and behaviors to discover how humans relate to each other and to societyThings That Humans Did Not Invent (Including Art)
We humans like to think of ourselves as unique creatures that do all sorts of neat tricks other species can’t manage. But Alistair Pike, a British archaeologist, says his new method of dating cave paintings shows that Neanderthals, not humans, could have created some of the earliest art. Granted, it’s just a bunch of red [...]
June 18, 2012 |
By Sarah Laskow
Howard Carter: Famous Archaeologist, Not-So-Famous Painter
Didn’t know he was an artist too? "Tut tut!"
May 09, 2012 |
By K. Annabelle Smith
How Humans Became Moral Beings
In a new book, anthropologist Christopher Boehm traces the steps our species went through to attain a conscience
May 04, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
Kelly Slater, the Chairman of the Board
An ode to surfing’s fiercest, most successful competitor – who now has a place in the Smithsonian collections
May 2012 |
By Owen Edwards
Found: Letters from the Hindenburg
A new addition to the Smithsonian collections tells a new story about the legendary disaster
May 2012 |
By Abigail Tucker
The Secret Lives of Medieval Books
A new method reveals which pages of ancient religious texts were most frequently used—and which prayers perpetually put readers to sleep
April 26, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Using Space Satellites to Spot Ancient Cities
Computer analysis of satellite imagery has revealed what could be a record number of archaeological sites
March 20, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Clovis People Hunted Canada’s Camels
North American camels went extinct at the end of the last ice age. Were humans partly to blame?
March 13, 2012 |
By Bruce Dorminey
Oldest American Rock Art Found in Brazil
The petroglyph, with a head, hands and "oversized phallus" is around 10,000 years old
February 23, 2012 |
By Virginia Hughes
What the Inuit Taught Scientists About Killer Whales
The native people knew what orcas ate, how they hunted prey, how the prey responded to the whales and when and where predation occurred
February 06, 2012 |
By Greg Laden
How Old is That Silk Artifact?
A chemist from the Textile Museum is perfecting a new technique for understanding the past
February 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
How One Mummy Came to the Smithsonian
An American diplomat’s memento takes center stage after 125 years
February 2012 |
By Owen Edwards
The Science of Sarcasm? Yeah, Right
How do humans separate sarcasm from sincerity? Research on the subject is leading to insights about how the mind works. Really
November 14, 2011 |
By Richard Chin
Secretary Clough on Jefferson's Bible
The head of the Smithsonian Institution details the efforts American History Museum conservators took to repair the artifact
October 2011 |
By G. Wayne Clough
Fossil Finds Complicate Search for Human Ancestor
A new analysis of a 2-million-year-old hominid shows that it had an intriguing mix of australopithecine and Homo-like traits
September 09, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
Farming Like the Incas
The Incas were masters of their harsh climate, archaeologists are finding—and the ancient civilization has a lot to teach us today
September 07, 2011 |
By Cynthia Graber
Gene Tunney's Gloves Enter the Ring
Fans still argue about who really won the 1927 "long count" fight between Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey
September 2011 |
By Owen Edwards
Six Talking Apes
“Talking” apes are not just the stuff of science fiction; scientists have taught many apes to use some semblance of language
August 11, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
Archaeologists May Have A Bone To Pick With Herbivores
Carnivores aren't the only creatures munching on bones, and herbivores are not the strict vegans we think they are
August 04, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
The Beer Archaeologist
By analyzing ancient pottery, Patrick McGovern is resurrecting the libations that fueled civilization
August 2011 |
By Abigail Tucker
