Best of SAPIENS 2021
The SAPIENS editorial team looks back at the year through an anthropological lens—and closes with a roundup of some of our favorite pieces published in the magazine in 2021.
How to Work With a Developmental Editor
Writing for SAPIENS and similar magazines involves close collaboration with developmental editors. Here’s how the process works—and what you can do to make the partnership as fruitful as possible.
Is Love a Biological Reality?
Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist at the Kinsey Institute and an adviser to the dating site Match.com, studies human mating to explain the mysteries of romance, partnership, and lust.
Crisis and Opportunity—A Look at 2020
The SAPIENS editors review the year’s events with anthropology in mind.
How to Write an Essay: A Guide for Anthropologists
Writing about anthropology for a general audience is different from writing for academics. Some simple tips can help.
Why “We” Isn’t for Everyone
Just when authors think they’re including everyone, they might be leaving someone important out.
Humans in 2019—From Discoveries to Disasters
SAPIENS’ editorial team presents a roundup of this year’s top news and other important insights as seen through the lens of anthropology.
Case Closed: You Can’t Make a Knife Out of Frozen Poop
Testing out a tale from the Arctic, one archaeologist takes matters into his own hands.
Genetic Factors May Help Explain Athletic Sudden Death
Biological anthropologists and other researchers investigate why there is a diversity of symptoms and outcomes in people with sickle cell trait.
First Confirmed Denisovan Skull Piece Found
Fragments of a hominin skull add to the sparse collection from our obscure cousins.
Visitor Log Chronicled for the Denisovan Family Home
New studies write the history of a famous Siberian cave and unearth the oldest jewelry in the region.
The End of the World as We Know It
How do our societies change in the face of apocalypse, and what can we do to ensure our survival?
The Rise of Emotional Robots
Scientists explore what robot-human intimacy could mean for love, work, communication, and even war.
Meet Archaeology’s Beer Can Man
One scholar has found in the humble, rusty beer can a trusty time capsule.
Bonobos Spied Sharing a Feast
Researchers report for the first time wild apes sharing food with near strangers.
Sea Level Rise Threatens Archaeological Sites
Surging tides will submerge thousands of ancient and historic places along the east coast of the U.S.
Oldest-Known Homo Sapiens Fossils Found
New finds at an archaeological site in Morocco open a window on the origin of our species.
Do You See What I See?
Cultural groups throughout the world talk about color differently—some don’t even have a word for color. So is color perception a universal human experience or not?
Why We Yearn for the Simple Life
Six social scientists debate why philosophies of simplicity arise and endure, and why it can be so hard to live with and without stuff.
North Dakota Access Pipeline Protests Spark Historic Declaration
U.S. government departments press pause on pipeline construction and call for serious talks on reform of the consultation process with Native American tribes for extensive infrastructure projects.
The Birth of Indonesia’s Cyber Village
A small neighborhood in the developing world built fame and fortune through their connection to the internet. Can the lessons it offers help wire the world?
Stone Age Site Saved
A company began diamond mining at an extraordinary site in South Africa with 2.3 million years of human history. Quick action by archaeologists has led to a court decision protecting the site.
Diamond Mine Threatens Stone Age Artifacts
A South African heritage site preserving 2.3 million years of human history has been gravely damaged by new mining activity.
Seafood Fight
Indigenous peoples on the coast of British Columbia share a deep history with sea otters. But can the two coexist peacefully today?