Female hunter remains have been unearthed in Peru. Find out why their discovery challenges our ideas about gender roles in tribal societies. (4:15 min read)
Category: Culture
Discoveries related to the knowledge, technology, customs and art shared among humans and passed down through generations.
Agreeable People Are More Successful at Work
Agreeable people are more likely to succeed at work than their aggressive peers. Find out why two studies show that nice guys don’t finish last after all. (3:30 min read)
Bat Woman On Pandemic, China and White House
Bat Woman” is the affectionate nickname China’s people use for their top bat virus expert. Find out why she spoke out this week. (5:00 min read)
Friendly People Ensured Human Survival
Friendly people are often dismissed as being too kind for their own good. The truth is that they’ve been vital to human success. Find out why. (4:30 min read)
Profile Painting Study Connects Culture with Cognition
Profile paintings changed as our ways of thinking shifted over time. Find out how that helps explain the link between our culture and our cognition. (5:00 min read)
Conspiracy Theories Spread Faster Than Germs
Conspiracy theories have been around a lot longer than this viral outbreak. Find out their history and features and how to handle people who spread them. (12:30 min read)
Human History Isn’t a Straight Line – It’s a Tangled Web
Human history is often shown as a neat March of Progress from one species to the next. Find out how DNA testing proves it's much more complicated than that. (4:00 min read time)
Hunter-Gatherer Culture and Storytellers
Hunter-gatherer culture is often seen as survival of the fittest individuals by brains or brawn. Find out how new studies show that the opposite is true. (4:30 min)
Neanderthal DNA Leaves Winding Trail
Neanderthal DNA has turned up in present-day Africans' genes. Find out how this stands current theories about early human history on their heads. (5:00 min read)
Prehistoric Africa Revealed by Ancient Children’s DNA
Prehistoric Africa is the home of all humans. Find out how the discovery of DNA evidence in a rock shelter in Cameroon is shedding new light on our common ancestors. (4:00 min read)