Robot-assisted surgeries have changed the medical landscape for patients with certain diagnoses, including some types of cancer. Commentator Barbara J. King looks forward to meeting her robot surgeon next week and getting the job done.

Does the breathless excitement seen in media coverage of Amanda Knox amount to sexism? Commentator Barbara J. King argues 'yes' and says its part of an age-old pattern in human culture.

Like many parents around the world, some moms and dads in Brooklyn are choosing to raise their children without using any diapers. How does this work and does it make any sense? Commentator Barbara J. King checks in with anthropologist Meredith Small, who embraces the idea with enthusiasm.

A performance of Mozart's Requiem has commentator Barbara J. King thinking about the ways humans grieve. Of all species on Earth, we alone mourn across time and space for people we have never met.

Henry David Thoreau's careful recording of flowering dates of plants in Concord, Massachusetts in the mid-1800s invites comparison with today's data. The results deserve our notice.

A study out last week analyzes charred food remains in Japanese pottery dated to 15,000 years ago. Results show that hunter-gatherers in Japan cooked fish in the pots, a finding commentator Barbara J. King says adds new depth to our comprehension of the complexity in human prehistory, even before farming.

When animals die, their close relatives and friends may be plunged into mourning. Commentator Barbara J. King writes about animal grief in her new book, citing examples seen in animals large and small. She finds solace in the knowledge that humans are not the only animals who feel loss.

Recent scientific research links hearing impairment with dementia. Commentator Barbara J. King says widespread availability of closed-captioned films could help.

Vegans' refrigerators are empty of meat, dairy and eggs. But what if there are animal products in their medicine cabinets? Commentator Barbara J. King considers how far vegans have to go to really make a difference for animals.

Morality emerges from our evolved nature: so claims primatologist Frans de Waal, who takes aim in his new book at the view that morality comes from God. Commentator Barbara J. King finds de Waal's argument persuasive.

In Virginia last month, a transgendered person was made to leave a sex-segregated public bath because of customer complaints. Commentator Barbara J. King sees this discriminatory act as another example of the "born male-born female" dichotomy ingrained in our culture.

PETA's President, Ingrid Newkirk, has declared that "humane meat" does not exist. How should we think about this provocative statement? Commentator Barbara J. King invites her readers to give it serious thought.

For decades anthropologist Napoleon Chagnon has incited uproar with his claims of genetically-rooted violence among Venezuela's Ya̧nomamö Indians. Now anthropologist Marshall Sahlins has resigned from the National Academy of Sciences, citing, among other things, Chagnon's election to the body. Why all the drama?

Historians and museum curators have chosen 50 objects that tell the long history of New York City; to an anthropologist's eye, they've done a superb job of emphasizing the importance of material culture in human life.

Vegetarians and vegans don't eat meat. They do often have ethical concerns over how animals are treated by meat eaters. So do they think they're better than everyone else? Commentator Barbara J. King puts this question to two prominent non-meat-eaters.

What to do with women athletes who make the Olympics team but have high levels of circulating androgens? The International Olympics Committee issues a ruling that commentator Barbara J. King says is based on thinking that's outdated and harmful.