anthropology
What Industrial Societies Get Wrong About Childhood
Age-based classes are not the only way to learn—and may not be the most effective.
Why a Universal Society Is Unattainable
Our minds evolved in an Us-vs-Them universe of our own making.
Gender Is What You Make of It
Margaret Mead, Ruth Benedict, and the relationship that changed social science.
Why Doesn’t Everybody Have Dark Skin Today?
Questions and answers about the science of skin color.
Galactic Settlement and the Fermi Paradox
The results of galactic colonization models are a mixed bag for SETI optimists.
The Ancient Rites That Gave Birth to Religion
Sacred beliefs likely arose out of prehistoric bonding and rituals.
Are Suicide Bombings Really Driven by Ideology?
The surprising anthropology of group identity.
Why Sports Die
Sports don’t survive their cultures of origin if they resist modern measurement.
Drums, Lies, and Audiotape
When I was invited to drum in Ghana, I gladly accepted. Then something went wrong.