Wed.Apr 02, 2025

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Ancient DNA from the Green Sahara Reveals a Lost North African Lineage

Anthropology.net

Once a fertile expanse teeming with lakes, grasslands, and abundant wildlife, the Sahara was a starkly different landscape than the inhospitable desert known today. During the African Humid Period (14,500–5,000 years ago), this region supported thriving human populations. Now, an international team of researchers 1 has uncovered the first ancient genomes from this long-lost ecosystem, shedding new light on an ancient North African lineage that has all but disappeared.

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A Poetics of Liberation: An Imagined Archive

Sapiens

A Tanzanian historian and poet conjures alternative engagements with Black African women who were marginalized by violent colonial histories and imprisoned in the archives. As the 2024 poet-in-resident at the magazine, she imaginatively reaches for new possibilities. As a historian, poet, writer , and experimental sound practitioner based in Tanzania, I meddle in different tonguestesting which one has the least bitter aftertaste.

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A Stone Age Puzzle: How Did Quina Tools Reach Ancient China?

Anthropology.net

For decades, archaeologists believed that technological development in Paleolithic East Asia followed a slow, relatively stagnant trajectory compared to the dynamic shifts seen in Europe and Africa. The discovery of a sophisticated stone tool tradition in southern China is now forcing a major reassessment of that assumption. Recent excavations at the Longtan site in southwest China have uncovered a complete Quina lithic toolkit—previously thought to be exclusive to European Neanderthals

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How Open Standards Are Breaking Down Data Barriers

ED Surge

Colleges and universities are at a crossroads when it comes to student data. They have more information at their fingertips than ever before, yet harnessing it to drive meaningful change remains a challenge. A 2022 UCLA-MIT Press study found that higher education struggles to capture and leverage data for impact. This digital disconnect isnt just a result of outdated systems; its about the complex web of cultural, organizational and infrastructural barriers that leave many institutions data-rich

EdTech 56
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APSA Statement on the Rights of International Scholars

Political Science Now

The American Political Science Association (APSA) is deeply disturbed by recent violations of the basic rights of international scholars in the United States. Over the past few weeks, there have been several reported instances of international students and scholars, legally residing and studying in the U.S., having their legal status threatened or rescinded by U.S. immigration officials.

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Spring 2025 Higher Education Media Fellows

Institute for Citizens & Scholars

The Institute for Citizens & Scholars announces its seventh class of journalists named to theHigher Education Media Fellowship, supported by ECMC Foundation.

Education 119
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A Griefbot’s Tale: A Ghost Story in the Digital Age

Anthropology News

The dead no longer rest. They linger in pixels and algorithms, in messages that should have gone unanswered. In the age of AI, ghosts are not wisps of mist or flickering candlelightthey are code. The uncanny has seeped into grief itself, turning memory into conversation, mourning into interaction. Griefbots, two-way chat systems that simulate the voices of the lost, promise comfort and connection.

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UPSC Anthropology Optional Booklist

Anthroholic

Get the ultimate UPSC Anthropology Optional Booklist with expert-recommended books, features, and benefits to streamline your preparation and boost your score.

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2024 Education Impact Report Released

Smithsonian Voices | Smithsonian Education

Newly released report chronicles innovative programs and partnerships that bring Smithsonian learning to communities across the United States

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Anthropology or Public Administration for UPSC?

Anthroholic

Among the myriad of choices, Anthropology and Public Administration Optional emerge as prominent contenders.

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Call for Applications: MENA Methods Workshop: Addressing Decolonization and Extractivism in Academic Research in the MENA Region | Deadline: April 27, 2025

Political Science Now

Call for Applications: Addressing Decolonization and Extractivism in Academic Research in the MENA Region August 16-20, 2025 Amman, Jordan Deadline: April 27, 2025 | Apply Here The American Political Science Association ( APSA ) is pleased to announce a call for applications from early-career scholars who would like to participate in a 4-day workshop addressing the issues of decolonization and extractivism in academic research on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

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As EPA pulls back, advocates warn it’s schoolchildren who face the steepest risks

The Hechinger Report

This story was produced by Floodlight and republished with permission. President Donald Trump and his administration have called it the Great American Comeback. But environmental advocates say the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys reversing course on enforcing air and water pollution laws is more of a throwback one that will exacerbate health risks for children who live and study in the shadows of petrochemical facilities.

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Democracy and the Epistemic Problems of Political Polarization

Political Science Now

Democracy and the Epistemic Problems of Political Polarization By Jonathan Benson , The University of Manchester. Political polarization is one of the most discussed challenges facing contemporary democracies and is often associated with a broader epistemic crisis. While inspiring a large literature in political science, polarizations epistemic problems also have significance for normative democratic theory, and this study develops a new approach aimed at understanding them.

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Is Head Start in danger?

The Hechinger Report

In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson launched Project Head Start, a summer program intended to help children from low-income families prepare for school. Sixty years later , Head Start has expanded into a multi-billion program operating in all 50 states, serving preschoolers as well as infants, toddlers and pregnant women. But the program is facing serious challenges, such as recent disruptions in federal funding, and cuts among staffers who oversee the program.