WEIRD ANTHROPOLOGY
Columbia University’s flexible-faced, lip-syncing EMO robot. Creative Machines Lab – By Ben Coxworth 2026 Jan 16 – When it comes to ultra-humanlike Westworld-style robots, one of their most defining features are lips that move in perfect sync with their spoken words. A new robot …
Approximately 58% of faculty interviewed in a national survey in 2024 reported self-censoring. PM Images/iStock/Getty Images – By Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College Published: 2026 Jan 14 – Texas A&M University told philosophy professor Martin Peterson …
Scientists have developed engineered skin grafts that fluoresce green when certain biomarker chemicals are present in the bloodstream. Depositphotos – By Ben Coxworth 2026 Jan 14 – Blood sampling is painful and invasive, plus it only tells you what’s going on in the patient’s …
If we lose one sense maybe we can retrain other sensory pathways to pick up the lost information. Depositphotos – By Chelsea Haney 2026 Jan 12 – For millions of people, losing their sense of smell quietly reshapes daily life. Meals lose nuance, familiar …
Severe storms triggered flooding across the central and eastern U.S. in April 2025, including in Kentucky’s capital, Frankfort. Leandro Lozada/AFP via Getty Images – By Gary W. Yohe, Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies, Wesleyan University Published: 2026 Jan 10 – On 2026 Jan …
Po’pay’s statue in the U.S. Capitol, representing the state of New Mexico, was dedicated in 2005. Chris Maddaloni/Roll Call/Getty Images – By Peter C. Mancall, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of the Humanities, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Published: 2026 Jan …
Congress has long been unable to come to an agreement on how to help constituents pay for health care. iStock/Getty Images Plus – By SoRelle Wyckoff Gaynor, Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Politics, University of Virginia Published: 2026 Jan 07 – As the …
The NU-9 molecule may one day delay or even prevent the destruction of neurons that begins decades before the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease appear. Depositphotos – By Malcolm Azania 2026 Jan 07 – You think you’re fine. Your family and friends think you’re …
A new study explores how extracellular vesicles from embryonic stem cells can protect other cells from oxidative stress, potentially slowing the aging process. Depositphotos – By Malcolm Azania 2026 Jan 04 – Senescence. It’s a beautiful-sounding word whose tones suggest it should be a …
More than two billion cups of coffee are drunk each day – but we’re still learning about its health benefits. Jonas Jacobsson/Unsplash – By Bronwyn Thompson 2026 Jan 02 – Coffee is one of the most widely consumed psychoactive substances on the planet, yet …
