Jeffrey Vadala Recently, genetic studies have shown that cats have lived as undomesticated alongside human societies for much longer than previously thought. This means that unlike dogs, whose DNA diverged when they were domesticated from…
There are few signifiers of culture more potent and recognizable than food. Edibles and cultural identity share a deep-seated connection. Food, and especially our preferences for preparing, cooking and eating it, are about far more…
The table below lists 265 subject-indexed ethnographic documents recently added to eHRAF World Cultures. Previously available only on microfiche, these documents augment 44 online culture collections. Several culture collections gained ten or more new documents:…
Jeffrey Vadala Archaeological and anthropological research shows that many human societies across time and space have used alcohol in religious and ritual contexts. There are often customs and ethics that govern how alcohol is produced,…
What do you do when a child throws a temper tantrum? Enabling young children to control their emotions – especially anger – is a challenge that all parents face. From deciding the “right” or “wrong”…
From pop culture to evolutionary psychology, we have come to take kissing for granted as universally desirable among humans and inseparable from other aspects of affection and intimacy. However, a recent article in American Anthropologist…
How does the relationship between gender and power vary cross-culturally? According to Forbes, Angela Merkel tops the list of “world’s most powerful women“, with Hillary Clinton and Melinda Gates labelled the second and third most…
Jeffrey Vadala Given that the archaeological record is often incomplete, how can archaeologists make reliable conclusions about human behavior in the past? Archaeologists employ a variety of approaches to this end, using statistical, interpretive, comparative…
Jeffrey Vadala The practice of looking to and tracking the heavens, stars, sun, and moon has roots and parallels in many cultures around the world. In epochs both ancient and contemporary, humans have looked to…
During the end-of-year “holiday season” throughout much of the Western world, we are often reminded to be grateful for the things that we have, and even to go out of our way to be gracious…