Bridget Alex

New article! "Changing the Landscape of Archaeological Publishing" in Current Anthropology, by a giant collaborative group of coauthors fearlessly led by Jess Beck and including @bridgetalex.bsky.social @benmarwick.bsky.social @christinawarinner.bsky.social www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/epdf/10....

I coauthored the part on media coverage! Check out Table 2, a framework for weighing risks/rewards of different levels of media engagement by scholars: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

I’ve seen babies do happy baby, but never once a child do child’s pose

Asked my 1 year old to get the monkey from this line up. She handed me the chimp. Might give her a pass.

To help me with chores this morning baby put my phone in the dish washer

The joy of going to uncork a wine bottle and realizing it’s twist off

‘Washington Post’ Publishes Editorial Defending FBI Raid On Its Reporter WASHINGTON—Saying that despite recent events, it would do everything in its power to continue obscuring the truth, The Washington Post published an editorial Thursday defending the FBI’s recent raid o...

‘Washington Post’ Publishes Editorial Defending FBI Raid On Its Reporter

Can anyone buy a baguette without immediately biting the end off?

Submitted an op-ed to Washington Post. They said they were interested but only if we cut 1 of the 3 coauthors from the by line. Huh. (We said no)

barreling toward oblivion, we are

maybe the most rewarding comment I've ever received on a course evaluation: "This course completely changed the way that I thought about myself as a human."

Fossils point to common ancestor of modern humans, Neanderthals Bones from a Moroccan quarry belonged to a hominin that lived when the human lineage was splitting

My, what a fine geomagnetic reversal. Wrote about more stuff from Middle Pleistocene www.science.org/content/arti...

Drugs have always been a boogeyman used to justify imperial intervention and resource extraction in Latin America.

I'm an anthropologist with a PhD in this subject, I made a video to explain the context: youtu.be/O7njXhwtuBA

2:1 odds this so called toy someone gave my baby is going to murder me

The Taste of Prehistory The Taste of Prehistory: Three recipes our Neanderthal cousins might have enjoyed.

along with some imagined Neanderthal recipes: nautil.us/the-taste-of...

Eat Like a Neanderthal Eat Like a Neanderthal: Science-inspired recipes to help you dine like our evolutionary cousins.

oh and I wrote this!

nautil.us/eat-like-a-n...

Two ancient humans, including famed ‘Iceman,’ had cancer-causing virus Findings from ancient DNA may shed light on HPV’s history in our species

Wrote this: Two ancient humans, including famed ‘Iceman,’ had cancer-causing virus | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

Just realized I’m in the life stage for drinking martinis

Surveillance and Suspicion From the Margins A Venezuelan anthropologist reflects on distrust he felt from residents of informal settlements in Chile—and how that track global trends.

When I'm trying to understand an event, I usually realize there's a SAPIENS story to help. To contextualize Chile's election results, check out this piece I edited, written by anthropologist Luis Alfredo Briceño González:

Surveillance and Suspicion From the Margins
www.sapiens.org/culture/fear...

My Search for the Origins of Clothing An archaeologist uses climate data and tailoring tools to trace the origins and evolution of Paleolithic clothing in colder climates.

www.sapiens.org/archaeology/...

The Viral Atrocities Posted by Israeli Soldiers An anthropologist explains how images that reframe violence as proof of victory have intensified in the war on Gaza that erupted in 2023.

www.sapiens.org/culture/isra...

The Anthropology Professor in an Amazon Warehouse To learn what conditions are really like in a sort center, an anthropology professor has joined Amazon warehouse workers.

www.sapiens.org/culture/anth...

What Ancient Egyptians Knew About Meteorites—Long Before Modern Astronomers An Egyptologist’s study of hieroglyphic texts revealed ancient Egyptians likely understood the celestial origins of iron-rich meteorites.

www.sapiens.org/archaeology/...

Why I Talked to Pseudoarchaeologist Graham Hancock on Joe Rogan An archaeologist explains his appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast with a purveyor of misinformation about the ancient past.

www.sapiens.org/archaeology/...

How Colonialism Invented Food Insecurity in West Africa People in Ghana lived sustainably for millennia—until European colonialism and the trade of enslaved people changed everything.

www.sapiens.org/archaeology/...

Are People Projecting Racist Stereotypes Onto Squirrels? Researchers refute the idea that black-furred squirrels are more aggressive than gray ones—and suggest the myth stems from racist attitudes.

www.sapiens.org/biology/blac...

Extinguishing the Idea That Hobbits Had Fire Research has overturned earlier claims that a diminutive human relative, Homo floresiensis, lit fires—but big stories die hard.

www.sapiens.org/archaeology/...

SAPIENS was my dream job, but it didn't pay enough. I worked nights/weekends as a Lecturer & freelance writer so that I could afford to work full time days at SAPIENS.

On my last day, I'm in tears reviewing the 60 some stories I developed as editor. Every story was an adventure. A sample below...

Personally, I'll be marveling as my 1-year-old learns to walk bipedally and communicate with language.

Professionally, I’ll be teaching at Harvard and writing pop-science stories from my home in Somerville, Massachusetts.