Scientific Reports - A late Middle Pleistocene Middle Stone Age sequence identified at Wadi Lazalim in southern Tunisia

Two decades ago, Portsmouth city’s council chose to fund and prioritise playgrounds and youth clubs to help its poorer families – and the benefits are plain to see

This article explores alternative ways of conceptualizing kinship in prehistoric contexts beyond the confines of genetic reductionism. While ancient DNA research has revitalized interest in the archaeology of kinship, it often privileges patrilineal or matrilineal models and risks obscuring forms of relatedness not grounded in biological ties. Drawing on comparative anthropological models and archaeological case studies, the paper highlights the complexity of kinship as manifested in practices of adoption, fosterage, commensality, co-residence, and non-biological affiliation within (non)nuclear households. By integrating socio-cultural, economic, and material dimensions, it demonstrates the diverse methodological and theoretical approaches necessary to move beyond descent-centered reconstructions. The discussion advocates for an interdisciplinary framework that challenges reductionist assumptions and opens new avenues for understanding relatedness in the deep past. Finally, the article emphasizes the village as a unit of analysis within a multi-scalar approach. It presents future directions and archaeological correlates of adoption, child circulation, and fosterage derived from archaeological, genetic, and ethnographic evidence.

The lynching, captured on video deep in the jungle, sheds light on the reality of the animals. Females exert power over males, who are larger and stronger, through a matriarchy woven with intense soci...

YouTube video by Griffith University

We’ve been trained never to criticise the rich and instead to celebrate their ‘wealth creation’. New research suggests that in reality, they threaten our way of life most of all. Robin McAlpine is Hea...

A bold and revolutionary perspective on the science and cultural history of menstruation

Visions of matriarchal utopia may be wishful thinking, but there’s growing evidence of women wielding power

We all feel pressure for our bodies to look a certain way: 70% of women say they feel pressure to have a perfect body, and two thirds of men feel ashamed of how they look. However, those pressures don...

Icicle-shaped features known as sand dikes form during ground shaking. New work reveals how these features can be used to date long-ago earthquakes.

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah: Namibia’s First Female President and Her Vision for the Future. In a historic moment for Namibia, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has been elected as the nation's first female president...

Namibia, a country known for its stunning landscapes and rich cultural heritage, has also made significant strides in gender equality, particularly in the political realm. Over the past few decades, t...

Researchers say findings show inequality creates toxic environment and reducing it is ‘a public health imperative’

Homo sapiens’ Y chromosome spread through Neanderthal populations after early mating