Through investigating the origins of volcanic stone used to produce sculptures of human-animal hybrids — called chachapumas — School of Human Evolution and Social Change researchers uncovered new insight into the political power of the early city of Tiwanaku. news.asu.edu/20260713-sci...

What the origins of stone sculptures can tell us about an ancient Andean civilization | ASU News

By studying ancient statues in South America, a group of researchers from Arizona State University have gleaned further insights into the cosmological and political power of an ancient civilization.

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How do cultural heritage professionals responsibly manage and preserve the ever-growing body of digital objects generated across cultural heritage research? New research from SHESC seeks to help solve this problem, also known as the digital curation crisis. Read more: news.asu.edu/b/20260623-a...

SHESC’s Center for Archaeology and Society Repository is working to build the future of the NAGPRA workforce. In a journal article, the team provides insight into the learning track, highlights lessons learned and provides suggestions for starting similar programs. news.asu.edu/b/20260615-a...

Congratulations to SHESC faculty member Christopher Caseldine and the Center for Archaeology and Society Repository team on their article being selected as the Cambridge University Press' May paper of the month!

Cambridge University Press - Archaeology@cambup-archaeology.cambridge.org · 2mo ago

May's #PaperOfTheMonth from Advances in Archaeological Practice @saa-aap.bsky.social is "Guiding the Next Generation of NAGPRA Practitioners: Formalizing Undergraduate NAGPRA Eduction" by Christopher R. Caseldine et al., available #openaccess! 📚 https://cup.org/3S8ju9m #archaeology

Congratulations to Michael Smith, SHESC professor and former Teotihuacan Research Laboratory director, on his retirement after 20 years at ASU! Read more about Smith’s lasting impact on ASU and the SHESC community here: news.asu.edu/b/20260519-a...

Earlier this week, Eduardo Amorim, assistant professor in SHESC, joined “Arizona Horizons” to provide insight into new research that resulted in the largest genomic database on Indigenous peoples across the Americas. Watch the segment here: azpbs.org/horizon/2026...

ASU research studies genome of Indigenous Americans

Research into the genome of Indigenous Americans identified more than 1 million genetic variants that had not been documented previously.

azpbs.org

This month, SHESC and the Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve wrapped up its first installment of the P.A.S.T. Academy! The academy gives high schoolers hands-on opportunities to learn about archaeology. Learn more about the first cohort and how you can get involved here: news.asu.edu/20260507-art...

ASU’s Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve hosts first anthropology camp for high school students | ASU News

It’s a bright, Saturday morning in north Phoenix as four high school students make their way into ASU’s Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve. But they weren’t there to walk the trail, visit the museum or l...

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Congrats to SHESC faculty members India Schneider-Crease and Chris Caseldine on being named recipients of the 2026 Centennial Professorship Award! Read more about their recognition here: news.asu.edu/b/20260504-2...

Amber Wutich, Regents and President’s Professor in ASU's School of Human Evolution and Social Change, was recently elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors a researcher can receive. Read more about her recognition here: news.asu.edu/b/20260501-a...

ASU SHESC faculty joined an international research team on a study providing the largest genomic dataset of Indigenous Americans to date, helping researchers trace the genetic threads of ancestry across the Americas. Read more about the study published in Nature: news.asu.edu/20260422-sci...

Largest genomic dataset of Indigenous Americans to date sheds light on history, diversity and health | ASU News

The story of Indigenous peoples in the Americas is woven through their DNA, and scientists are beginning to trace its threads in new ways.

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How do we better understand the complexity of human relationships across time and cultures? Carlos Eduardo G. Amorim, SHESC assistant professor, explores the study of kinship within DNA-based research in a recent journal article. Read more: news.asu.edu/b/20260414-a...

New article in Science! ASU SHESC researchers helped document a permanent split in the largest known group of wild chimpanzees, an extremely rare occurrence. Read more: news.asu.edu/20260409-sci...

Do you want to learn how to make archaeological data synthesis a faster, more efficient process? Sign up now for this free, virtual introduction to ArchaMap on April 14 from 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. MST. Register to attend by emailing admin@catmapper.org. Learn more: asuevents.asu.edu/event/worksh...

ASU SHESC faculty Christopher Campisano co-authored a recent article detailing the discovery of a massive crocodile species, Crocodylus lucivenator, or “Lucy’s hunter.” Read more here: news.asu.edu/b/20260312-s...

New in Nature! SHESC faculty recently co-authored an article in Nature to mark the 45th anniversary of a key paper published in the field of evolutionary anthropology. Read more: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

In a recent Q&A, Matthew Kroot, ASU SHESC assistant professor, discusses the need to expand community-based approaches for Stone Age archaeology projects in Africa and what can be done to continue to develop these programs across the entire research ecosystem. news.asu.edu/b/20260317-a...

The origin story of democracy is being rewritten. Looking at evidence from ancient societies around the globe — researchers uncovered evidence of a deep, global history of shared governance. news.asu.edu/20260318-science-and-technology-deep-history-democracy-study-reveals-origins-selfgovernance-go

Deep history of democracy: Study reveals origins of self-governance go beyond Greece, Rome | ASU News

When you picture the beginnings of democracy, you likely think of men draped in linen togas gathered in marble columned buildings. But the origin story of democracy is being rewritten, thanks to a new...

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Through a recent temporary museum exhibit in Apaxco, Mexico, ASU archaeologists are demonstrating how community engagement is a critical and essential part of archaeological research. news.asu.edu/b/20260302-a...

Lots of Americans experience more inflammation in their bodies as they get older, but that doesn't have to be the case. Jacob Aronoff, a postdoctoral research scholar with the School of Human Evolution and Social Change, spoke to KJZZ about it. www.kjzz.org/the-show/202...

A remote tribe in the Amazon may hold the secret to aging with less inflammation

Lots of Americans experience more inflammation in their bodies as they get older. But, new research from ASU suggests it doesn’t have to be this way.

kjzz.org

Congrats to Professor Megan Jehn for receiving the 2025 Arizona Public Health Research Award! 🎉 Since 2020, she has led the Student Outbreak Response Team (SORT), training over 400 case investigators to help improve public health. azpha.org/2025/10/15/a...

A team of international researchers, including at ASU, have uncovered genetic adaptations in the Kenyan Turkana tribe that may have helped them survive in hot and dry environments through natural selection. Read more: news.asu.edu/20250918-sci...

Scientists discover genetic adaptations can help those living in dry climates | ASU News

A team of international scientists has uncovered key genetic adaptations underlying survival in hot and dry environments, revealing how natural selection may have enabled some pastoralist populations ...

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For the past two summers, an international cohort of five university students have gathered in South Africa for a 7-week training cohort to analyze animal fossils. And they have an anthropology PhD student at Arizona State University to thank. Read: news.asu.edu/20250917-sci...

PhD student establishes unique lab program for students in Southern Africa | ASU News

For the past two summers, an international cohort of five university students have gathered at the coast of South Africa for seven weeks to analyze animal fossils. The training program gives students ...

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New research from Madeleine Getz, a PhD student studying global health, suggests that increases in cholesterol and heart-related risks after menopause might be universal. Read more: news.asu.edu/20250903-hea...

New research reveals insights into link between menopause, cardiovascular health | ASU News

Deep in the Bolivian Amazon exists a forager-horticultural community called the Tsimane. Researchers look to them for insights on how the human body functioned prior to modern technologies, as their lifestyles remain the closest to that of our ancestors.

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A team of international scientists, led by researchers at Arizona State University, has discovered a new species of Australopithecus, a genus of early hominins, in Africa. This new species has never been found anywhere. Read more about the discovery: news.asu.edu/20250813-sci...

ASU scientists uncover new fossils — and a new species of ancient human ancestor | ASU News

A team of international scientists has discovered new fossils at a field site in Africa that indicate Australopithecus and the oldest specimens of Homo coexisted at the same place in Africa at the sam...

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Congrats to Divyendu Kashyap, SHESC evolutionary anthropology PhD student, on receiving the prestigious Baldwin Fellowship from The Leakey Foundation! His research on ancient East African ecosystems helps us understand how species responded to environmental shifts over time.

June 15 marked 13 years of DACA, which provides work permits and deportation relief to young immigrants. To mark the anniversary, explore five publications on DACA’s impact on im/migrant well-being, including one by SHESC Associate Professor Emir Estrada! iwbcollab.org/5-essential-...

New research from ASU evolutionary anthropologists reveals that people may follow social norms not out of fear of judgment, but simply because it’s tradition. Read: news.asu.edu/20250620-sci...

New research: Tradition trumps payoffs in maintaining social norms in some situations | ASU News

New research by evolutionary anthropologists is redefining what we thought we knew about human behavior, specifically social norms and how we may be able to change them in the future.Social norms are ...

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From ASU to London, 20 students are diving deep into history and culture this summer through the SHESC faculty-led Plague Pits and Body Snatchers study abroad program. 🌍✈️ For three weeks, this group is exploring how people lived and died in the past through global health and bioarchaeology.

We had a great time celebrating our spring graduates on Friday! It was a joy to honor your achievements and cheer you on as you enter the next chapter. Go out and shine! 💫

From artist to graduating summa cum laude as a Dean's Medalist with three undergraduate degrees, Randii Lantz Castaneda's ASU journey tells the story of someone determined to bring Native culture and art to the forefront. #ASUGrad 🌟 news.asu.edu/20250515-sun...