Culture News

The words we choose matter. Benjamin Lee Whorf, an influential American linguist theorized that the language one speaks directly impacts our thoughts; he is quoted as saying, "language shapes the…

Deep in the Suriname rainforest, an innovative conservation group is working with indigenous tribes to protect their forest home and culture using traditional knowledge combined with cutting-edge technology. The Amazon…

High death rates drove evolution of human pygmies New theory on the evolution of pygmies mongabay.com December 10, 2007 Early childbearing age in the face of high death rates, drove…

Crop domestication originated in compost piles Crop domestication originated in compost piles mongabay.com August 19, 2007 New research lends support to the theory that backyard gardens and refuse heaps played…

Does language extinction matter? Does language extinction matter? mongabay.com February 16, 2007 Most of humanity's 6,000 languages could be extinct within the next two centuries. Does it matter? At the…

Indigenous people are key to rainforest conservation efforts says renowned ethnobotanist An interview with ethnobotanist Dr. Mark Plotkin: Indigenous people are key to rainforest conservation efforts says renowned ethnobotanist Rhett…

Traditional customs pit young versus old in Indonesia's Torajaland Traditional customs pit young versus old in Indonesia's Torajaland Cultural Bankruptcy: Maintaining History at a Tremendous Cost in Sulawesi's Torajaland Tina…

Bering Strait land bridge may have flooded earlier than thought Bering Strait land bridge may have flooded earlier than thought Ancient flooding may have had implications for historic human migration…

Remote island provides clues on population growth, environmental degradation Remote island provides clues on population growth, environmental degradation University of Oregon August 24, 2006 Halfway between South America and New…

Bison-hunting Plains indians more advanced than thought Bison-hunting Plains indians more advanced than thought mongabay.com August 15, 2006 A controversial new theory argues that ancient plains Indians may have developed…

Venomous snakes key to human evolution says new theory Venomous snakes key to human evolution says new theory UC Davis July 21, 2006 The ability to spot venomous snakes may…

DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> Secrets of hallucinogenic mushrooms uncovered by scientists Secrets of hallucinogenic mushrooms uncovered by scientists Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions July 11, 2006 Hopkins scientists show…

Amazon Stonehenge suggests advanced ancient rainforest culture Amazon Stonehenge suggests advanced ancient rainforest culture By Rhett Butler, mongabay.com May 14, 2006 (modified from an earlier article) The discovery of an…

Easter Island settled around 1200, later than originally believed Easter Island settled around 1200, later than originally believed Rhett Butler, mongabay.com March 13, 2006 New evidence suggests that colonization of…

New evidence shows abrupt worldwide increase in birth rate during Neolithic period New evidence shows abrupt worldwide increase in birth rate during Neolithic period University of Chicago Press Journals release…

The Virgin Forest? Amazon Myths and New Revelations Modern day agriculture in the Amazon. Controversial evidence uncovered over the past decade suggests that the Amazon rainforest was once home to…

Simplified stereotypes of “typical” Americans, Brazilians, Chinese are common but mistaken Simplified stereotypes of “typical” Americans, Brazilians, Chinese are common but mistaken NIH release October 6, 2005 Simplified stereotypes of…

Medicinal plants explored at San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers Medicinal powers of plants explored at San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com September 6, 2005 Kaiapo shaman in…

Q&A: What are the most spoken languages on earth? Q&A: What are the most spoken languages on earth? mongabay.com July 25, 2005 According to figures from UNESCO, the United Nations…

In the rolling hills of the southeastern highlands of Madagascar there lives a group of people known as the Zafimaniry, or the "the people of the forest." The Zafimaniry are…

Project seeks to understand human origins and migration patterns Project seeks to understand human origins and migration patterns Tina Butler, mongabay.com May 9, 2005 [continued from page 2] On behalf…

Indigenous groups oppose National Geographic, IBM project Indigenous groups oppose National Geographic, IBM project Tina Butler, mongabay.com May 9, 2005 [continued from page 1] Despite the seemingly beneficial aspects of…

Bridging the Great Divide: Hollywood Versus the Avant-garde Bridging the Great Divide: Hollywood Versus the Avant-garde Tina Butler, mongabay.com May 8, 2005 Fritz Lang's films M and Scarlet Street illuminate…

Souvenirs and the Museum Store: Icons of Culture and Status to Go Souvenirs and the Museum Store: Icons of Culture and Status to Go Tina Butler, mongabay.com May 6, 2005…