Anthropology
Scientists Try Out 2,300-Year-Old Brain Surgery Techniques
Experiments conducted by a Siberian research team shed light on the neurosurgical methods evident in three Iron Age skulls
How Sticks and Shell Charts Became a Sophisticated System for Navigation
Sailors navigating with sextant, compass and maps found in the Marshall Islands that curved sticks and cowry shells were far more sophisticated
Poison Hath Been This Italian Mummy's Untimely End
A lethal helping of foxglove seems to have triggered the downfall of a warlord of Verona
Our Top Stories of 2014
From weird red waterfalls to the pleasures of small-town America, these were the most read articles on Smithsonian.com this year
Switching to Farming Made Human Joint Bones Lighter
A more fragile skeleton evolved about 12,000 years ago, probably driven by a shift from hunting to agriculture
Rescuing Jorge Prelorán’s Films From Storage And Time
The Smithsonian’s Film Archives is reintroducing the world to the influential work of the Argentine-American filmmaker
Zigzags on a Shell From Java Are the Oldest Human Engravings
The early human <em>Homo erectus</em> also made the oldest known shell tools half a million years ago
Why Do Humans Have Thumbs?
There’s a never-ending stream of theories about Homo sapiens’ most important digit
Why Some Mammals Kill Babies of Their Own Kind
Male mammals that commit infanticide developed the behavior in response to their species' mating style
Ice Age Babies Surrounded by Weapon Parts Found in Alaska
Unearthed at an ancient hunting camp in Alaska, the infant remains are offering clues to the burial rites of early Americans
Ten Years On, the Flores “Hobbit” Remains an Evolutionary Puzzle
Why was the 2004 unveiling of a small hominin dubbed <em>Homo floresiensis</em> such a big deal?
Rock (Art) of Ages: Indonesian Cave Paintings Are 40,000 Years Old
Cave paintings of animals and hand stencils in Sulawesi, Indonesia, seem to be as old as similar cave art in Europe
To Survive Climate Change, We Should Be More Like the Eskimos
Arctic Studies Center director Bill Fitzhugh says that studying northern cultures can help people adapt to climate change
How Climate Change May Have Shaped Human Evolution
Evidence is building that past climate change may have forged some of the defining traits of humanity
Neanderthal Carvings in a Gibraltar Cave Reveal Some of Europe's Oldest Known Artwork
Some argue, however, that Homo sapiens are responsible for the etchings
Designers Remake Our Oldest Tool Using Our Newest Tool
More than a million years old, the hand axe is over due for an update
The Flores "Hobbit" Might Not Be a New Species at All
A long-standing debate on the original findings has been reignited
The Cannibal Club: Racism and Rabble-Rousing in Victorian England
These 19th-century gentlemen of good standing let their inner boors loose in secret London backrooms
Ability to Adapt Gave Early Humans the Edge Over Other Hominins
Features thought to be characteristic of early <em>Homo</em> lineages actually evolved before <em>Homo</em> arose. Rather, our flexible nature defines us
This Company Sold More Beer by Helping Waitresses Get Home Late at Night
Anthropology can have relevance for the business world—just ask this beer company
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