Social Impact Episodes

Brad Deutser, an organizational psychologist, conducted research involving over 15,000 employees to examine the significance of belonging in the workplace. He identified five essential "Belonging Rules" that contribute to employee engagement, satisfaction, and retention.Deutser also emphasizes …

This new episode explores the motivations and implications of humanity's pursuit of space exploration. It asks if reaching for the stars should be our top priority. Our guest Savannah Mandel shares her journey from a space enthusiast as a child to a more critical anthropologist studying the space i…

In this episode of This Anthro Life, I am joined by cultural anthropologist and author Paul Stoller. Paul shares his extensive fieldwork experiences among the Songhai people in Niger and Mali, as well as West African migrants in New York City. Through his research on magic, sorcery, and spirit poss…

In this episode of This Anthro Life podcast, Dr. Jon Cohen shares invaluable insights gained from leading the nation in COVID-19 diagnostics testing. He emphasizes the importance of building a robust diagnostic infrastructure for future crises, drawing on lessons learned from the pandemic. The coll…

in this new exciting episode, we explore the profound influence of language on our perception of experiences. We also tackle the intricate process of navigating trauma and uncovering growth in the face of adversity. Our guest, Amrita Subramanian, an esteemed expert in cultural contexts and relation…

Humans have an innate drive to cooperate and identify with groups, even strangers. This drive, known as tribalism, is essential for building trust and cooperation in large-scale societies. However, in the modern world, tribalism can also lead to division and conflict.In this podcast episode, Da…

Science is a dynamic process of discovery and revision. This means that scientists are constantly learning new things and updating their understanding of the world. This can be challenging for the public to keep up with, but it is important for people to be engaged with science so that they can mak…

In this episode of This Anthro Life, host Adam Gamwell talks with Janine de Novais about her new publication on Brave Community and teaching for a post-racist imagination.They explore the concept of "grounding for learning" as a method to enhance and sustain empathy to facilitate effective learni…

People with disabilities often face accessibility issues in physical environments, such as a lack of ramps, narrow doorways, and inaccessible transportation. Every barrier is a reminder that designs are choices, ones made without people with disabilities at the decision-making table.

In this episode, Angela Saini, award-winning science journalist and author of “The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule,” traces the material and social roots of patriarchy with host Adam Gamwell. The duo explores how anthropology can help us better understand the patriarchy and patriarchal power by co…

Daughter of “Cosmos” co-writer Ann Druyan and astronomer Carl Sagan, Sasha talks with host Adam Gamwell about the power of ritual for making meaning across life, death, nature, and more. She also shares how she learned to ask questions, the value of finding awe in the most mundane of rituals, and h…

How to Build a More Resilient WorldThe COVID-19 pandemic leveled the playing field between those who have the privilege to avoid or mitigate disasters and those who don’t. But the pandemic is just one of many ongoing challenges and crises that people are and have been facing for years.

Indigenous cultures around the world have a trickster god or figure in their mythos. For example, the Pacific Northwest Native Americans have the Raven, a selfish, hungry, and mischievous figure who transforms the world. Stories tell how the Raven...

Ashley Meredith serves as the National Cultural Anthropologist and Deputy National Historic Preservation Officer for the Federated States of Micronesia. Micronesia is a sovereign island country in Oceania situated northeast of Australia and Papua New Guinea and consists of 600 islands covering a ma…

When we think about social science and social scientists working out in the world, we tend to jump to the science part, you know jobs that focus on research - consumer research, user experience research, or qualitative studies for non-profits. But if...

If you’re alive in 2022 you’ve probably also heard of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency or the blockchain. Whether you’re an active trader, just dabble, or think you’d never touch the stuff, cryptocurrency raises a fascinating challenge to the question of...

If Dr. Hellen Fisher isn’t a household name in your house (yet), her work certainly is. Helen is a biological anthropologist and basically the reason you can date online. She’s an expert on romantic love, gender differences, ...

TAL Correspondent Sara Schmieder brings us an all new interview about the power of cemetery restoration, race in the American South, and bringing legacy to light. Dr. Ryan Smith is a professor of religious history, material c...

In today’s episode Adam and Astrid Countee are joined by multispecies anthropologist John Hartigan jr. John is an anthropology professor at the University of Texas at Austin. In his latest work, Shaving the Beasts: Wild Horse...

Mary Gray is an anthropologist whose work explores how technology informs work, a sense of identity, and human rights. Gray applies these concepts as the Senior Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research and as the Faculty As...

Take a walk with anthropologist and consultant Grant McCracken and host Adam Gamwell, as they discuss Grant's new book The New Honor Code: A Simple Plan for Raising Our Standards and Restoring Our Good Names and dig into Gran...

In January 2021 armed rioters stormed the US Capitol in a harrowing and politically fomented insurrection. It was an apex of years of divisive and condemnable rhetoric and fear-mongering used to stoke insecurities and despera...

When most people think of forensics or forensic anthropology the first thing that comes to mind are TV shows like CSI or Bones, or maybe in Six Feet Under. This may sound overly obvious, but people die every day. And this mea...

The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is a next-generation observatory currently under development that has created a watershed moment for the scientific community and Hawaiian society. This is because of its planned location on M...