Gender is critical to understanding how egalitarianism works - Volume 49

The role of know-how copying in and beyond social tinkering - Volume 49

For decades, the global outlook for food and agriculture has brought heightened concerns  as climate patterns create a mix of droughts and floods across the world. Consequently, fears of diminishing…

From an anthropologist renowned for overturning outdated evolutionary dogma, a lively, myth-busting, and transformative new portrait of human evolution What if it turns out that most of the stories w...

As A.I. capabilities accelerate, the technologist is shocked by the “complete lack of engagement” with the question of how to manage its risks.

This article discusses the preprinted work of Morassut et al. (2026 preprint). As a preprint, this work has not yet undergone peer review.

Abstract Behavioural biology often focuses on identifying general patterns, yet unusual or rare behaviours at both the population and individual level can provide insight into animal behaviour. Here, ...

‘An important, fascinating and frequently shocking read.’ – BERNARDINE EVARISTO, author of Girl, Woman, Other Covering a fascinating period of population growth, high infant mortality and deep social ...

Aurignacian ivory beads provide valuable insights into ivory-working techniques, labour investment, production organisation, and the symbolic behaviour of Early Upper Palaeolithic people. Although decades of research have led to a detailed understanding of the chaîne opératoire of these iconic beads, systematic approaches for identifying and interpreting manufacturing- and use-related traces remain limited. Using 74 double perforated ivory beads (DPIBs) from Archaeological Horizon IV at Hohle Fels Cave as a case study, we integrate taphonomic, typological, morphometric, and traceological analyses with experimental replication to develop an analytical framework for reconstructing the manufacture and use of archaeological ivory beads. Our results suggest that DPIB production followed a broadly shared production sequence while allowing flexibility in the order and execution of individual manufacturing steps. The archaeological evidence indicates that the beads were produced, used, and discarded on site. Experimental replication further provides a basis for evaluating labour investment and identifying surface modifications associated with manufacture and use. The observed morphological variability may reflect differences in production practices related to variation in skill, individual behaviour, and the involvement of multiple craftspeople. The analytical approach presented here is transferable and can be applied to other archaeological ivory bead assemblages.

Paleoanthropology and archaeology employ various proxy measures of hominin cognition, including endocranial volume, the complexity of material culture, or encephalization quotients (EQ). Competing sce...

The site has seen remarkable discoveries over 30 years, and excavations have opened a new unexplored chamber.

Goal-directed intentionality is the ability to communicate with the intention of eliciting reactions from recipients. Long considered uniquely human, today it has been reported in the signalling of se...

Ancient DNA has emerged as a powerful tool for studying human migration through the detection of admixture signatures. Here, we present the theoretical principles and methodologies for admixture analysis, with an emphasis on f-statistics and qpAdm. We review case studies from the literature demonstrating how these methods uncover patterns of human mobility, and discuss challenges related to data quality, demographic complexity, and sample representativeness on admixture and migration inferences. Finally, we highlight promising advancements in admixture analysis and underscore the importance of integrating genetic, archaeological, and historical data to achieve a more interdisciplinary and nuanced reconstruction of human history.

River charters part of wider movement establishing ‘moral’ framework to protect nature and hold institutions to account

If a book has Revolutionary in its title, it’s perhaps appropriate to go topsy-turvy and begin a review of it with a conclusion (Chris Knight and Jerome

Hunter-gatherer communities are a window on how the human species learned to get a good night's rest. Here's what you can learn from them.

African elephants use dozens of different medicinal plants to treat themselves and their families when they are sick, research reveals.

As animal behaviorists increasingly use AI in their research, they grapple with how to wield the technology responsibly

The Task This document represents a supporting chapter in our Report on the State of Scholarship in the Humanities and the Humanistic Social Sciences. Our interdisciplinary panel was charged with asse...