Mayan Forestry
The early Maya culture practiced forest conservation – and may have paid a heavy price when they stopped.
Podcast
AMAZING ORGANISMS: Assessing the developmental level of canines, the origin of malaria, powerful bacteria, and more.
Tools as Body Parts
People perceive tools as extensions of their own bodies.
Podcast
Did food poisoning prompt the exploration and settlement of the South Pacific? Narcolepsy and the immune system, an obesity mystery, and more.
Polynesian Migration
A surge in food poisoning from tropical fish may have prompted human migrations in the South Pacific.
Online Antiquities
Online auction sites have transformed both legal and illegal antiquities markets.
Podcast
Caterpillars infiltrate ant nests, loneliness and your health, how planes can fly upside down, and more.
Evolution of Conscience
Hunting and gathering in pre-historic times may have led to the evolution of the conscience.
Podcast
EVOLUTION & MORALITY SPECIAL: Hunting large game led to the evolution of the conscience, and evidence of moral systems in other animals. Also: Giant snake fossil points to warmer times, and grandparents helped civilization evolve.
Behind Kissing
The evolutionary roots of kissing are a bit less romantic than you might think.
Behind Kissing
The evolutionary roots of kissing are a bit less romantic than you might think.
Podcast
EVOLUTION SPECIAL: Celebrating Charles Darwin's 200th birthday, the evolution of kissing, mosquito love duets, robot sex, and the unhealthy history of the human diet.
Diet Evolution
The dawn of agriculture ushered in a surprisingly unhealthy era for humans.
Podcast
CLIMATE CHANGE: A listener asks: How can it be "global warming" when it's so cold outside? And the chilling effects of deadly disease on the climate of the past.
Scary Monsters
A listener wonders why we fear irrational things when there are plenty of real threats out there.
Podcast
HALLOWEEN & POLITICS: What a good scare says about your politics, what's behind our irrational fears, and more.
Podcast
DANGEROUS MICROORGANISMS: Diseases of the Crusaders unearthed. New mosquito repellents on the horizon. And is your moldy basement a health hazard?
Crusader Dysentery
The Crusaders had more to worry about than just dying in battle.
Gay Evolution
Genes that contribute to male homosexuality may make women more fertile.
Satellite Archaeology
Satellite images are helping scientists measure the influence of an ancient Mexican civilization.
Magellan’s Weather
The climate anomaly known as El Niño could explain why the voyage of Magellan encountered an unusually calm Pacific Ocean.