Anthropology 

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Latest news on anthropology, covering human evolution, Neanderthals, Denisovans and other hominins, ancient DNA, archaeology, ethnography, cultural and biological anthropology, primatology and the work of anthropologists worldwide.

Anthropology is the study of humanity across time and space. In the United States it is usually divided into four subfields: cultural anthropology, biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology and archaeology, while in Britain and much of Europe cultural anthropology is called social anthropology. The discipline draws on ethnography, ethnology, osteology, bioarchaeology, paleoanthropology and primatology, and it overlaps with sociology and other social sciences.

Human evolution is a constant source of headlines. Fossil and genetic evidence on Australopithecus, including the famous Lucy, Homo erectus, Homo naledi, Homo sapiens, Neanderthals and Denisovans shows how our hominid relatives lived, moved and met. Svante Paabo won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for sequencing the Neanderthal genome and identifying the Denisovans, and ancient DNA has since revealed how often these groups interbred.

Cultural anthropology looks at living societies through fieldwork and ethnography, from ritual, religion and kinship to migration, technology and online communities. Digital ethnography now studies virtual worlds, and Indigenous communities increasingly lead research on their own cultures and histories.

Prehistoric archaeology adds tools, rock art, burials, settlements and skeletal remains to the picture, and research on primates helps explain which human traits are shared and which are unique. Sites such as Shanidar Cave and Rising Star Cave have changed how scientists think about the lives of early humans.

The field has a complex history. Its roots lie in the 19th century, when early work was entangled with colonial attitudes, and today's anthropologists stress reflexivity, consent and collaboration. Debates over the repatriation of ancestral remains and cultural objects continue, as museums and source communities rethink who should care for them.

Our NewsNow anthropology news feed brings together the most relevant headlines on human evolution, hominins, archaeology, ethnography and cultural anthropology from reliable sources, updated constantly. Whether you are a student, researcher or simply curious about human diversity, our feed is great way to follow how we became who we are.