Anthropology
45,000-Year-Old Pig Painting in Indonesia May Be Oldest Known Animal Art
Ice Age cave painters flourished in Southeast Asia, where their work adorned rock walls
Who Invented the Alphabet?
New scholarship points to a paradox of historic scope: Our writing system was devised by people who couldn’t read
How Much Did Grandmothers Influence Human Evolution?
Scientists debate the evolutionary benefits of menopause
What Japan's Wild Snow Monkeys Can Teach Us About Animal Culture
Scientists have been studying the primates at some of the nation's hot springs, and what they have learned about evolution is astonishing
Ten New Things We Learned About Human Origins in 2020
Smithsonian’s archaeologist Ella Beaudoin and paleoanthropologist Briana Pobiner reveal some of the year’s best findings in human origins studies
Human Footprints Found in Saudi Arabia May Be 120,000 Years Old
If confirmed, the footfalls would represent the oldest evidence of Homo sapiens' presence on the Arabian Peninsula
Drone Imaging Reveals Pre-Hispanic 'Great Settlement' Beneath Kansas Ranch
The 164-foot-wide earthwork is the sixth ancestral Wichita "council circle" discovered in the region
Humans in the Near East Cremated Their Dead 9,000 Years Ago
Archaeologists found the charred bones of a young adult in the ancient Israeli village of Beisamoun
Why Bigfoot and the 'Abominable Snowman' Loom Large in the Human Imagination
In cultures around the world, folklore of a 'Wild Man' share a common narrative
Help Transcribe Field Notes Penned by S. Ann Dunham, a Pioneering Anthropologist and Barack Obama's Mother
Newly digitized, Dunham’s papers reflect her work as a scholar and as a scientist and as a woman doing anthropology in her own right
Rare Form of Miniature Stenciled Rock Art Found in Australia
New research suggests the small-scale illustrations may have been made with beeswax
Ancient Toes and Soles of Fossilized Footprints Now 3-D Digitized for the Ages
New research suggests that for the prehistoric foragers that walked this path, labor was divided between men and women
Community-Researcher Collaboration Reveals Ancient Maya Capital in Backyard
A recent excavation located the first physical evidence of the capital of the Maya kingdom of Sak Tz'i', founded in 750 B.C.
How Museums Can Help the Public Make Sense of Pandemics
We can’t let fear overrun science, says Sabrina Sholts, the Smithsonian’s curator of biological anthropology
Fossilized Fish Bones in the Sahara Desert Show How Diets Changed With the Climate
Thousands of years ago, hunter-gatherers in the “green Sahara” ate mostly catfish and tilapia
Recognition of Major Osage Leader and Warrior Opens a New Window Into History
The story of Shonke Mon-thi^, a hidden figure in American history, is now recovered at the National Portrait Gallery
Modern Humans May Have More Neanderthal DNA Than Previously Thought
A new study is the first to identify a significant amount of Neanderthal DNA in African populations
To Craft Cutting Tools, Neanderthals Dove for Clam Shells on the Ocean Floor
Clam shell knives from a cave on the Italian coast suggest Neanderthals dove underwater for resources
Immerse Yourself in Jane Goodall's Wondrous, Chimpanzee-Filled Life
A new multimedia show includes the primatologist's childhood possessions, a 3-D film and a "Chimp Chat" station
The Top Ten Scientific Discoveries of the Decade
Breakthroughs include measuring the true nature of the universe, finding new species of human ancestors, and unlocking new ways to fight disease
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