Barbara J. King
Barbara J. King is a contributor to the NPR blog 13.7: Cosmos & Culture. She is a Chancellor Professor of Anthropology at the College of William and Mary. With a long-standing research interest in primate behavior and human evolution, King has studied baboon foraging in Kenya and gorilla and bonobo communication at captive facilities in the United States.
Recently, she has taken up writing about animal emotion and cognition more broadly, including in bison, farm animals, elephants and domestic pets, as well as primates.
King's most recent book is How Animals Grieve (University of Chicago Press, 2013). Her article "When Animals Mourn" in the July 2013 Scientific American has been chosen for inclusion in the 2014 anthology The Best American Science and Nature Writing. King reviews non-fiction for the Times Literary Supplement (London) and is at work on a new book about the choices we make in eating other animals. She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for her work in 2002.
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Farmer Rosamund Young's book will charm people who want to lap up more evidence that animals have personalities, but may not warm hearts of animal lovers who don't eat meat.
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For 6 1/2 years, Barbara J. King has written commentaries for NPR on everything from animals and anthropology to gender and higher education. Here, she offers up some of her favorite pieces. -
Meat and veggie burgers evolved together in the 20th century, but when it comes to associations with gender, their histories diverge. Anthropologist Barbara J. King explores a new book on the topic. -
A scientific project for killing invasive green iguanas in Florida has become the center of national attention. Anthropologist Barbara J. King looks at wildlife management and methods.
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Are playgrounds in the U.S. too sterile and risk-averse to help our kids thrive? Anthropologist Barbara J. King considers play and child development in evolutionary perspective. -
Evidence for smart, sassy octopus behavior once again impresses our resident cephalopod fan Barbara J. King, who is standing up for octopuses against a recent broadside. -
New evidence suggests Neanderthals made cave art — and they may also have created religious rituals. It's time to let go of Neanderthal-human "border policing," says anthropologist Barbara J. King. -
Does your dog watch you closely? A new experiment shows how dogs may match our movements and, in some breeds more than others, gaze at us for information, writes anthropologist Barbara J. King. -
In step with Matthew Engelke's book published Tuesday, Barbara J. King says thinking anthropologically has never been more critical than in today's world, where assumptions are made and shared widely. -
Simon Beck's large-scale snow images — like the one made earlier this month in Minneapolis — bring extra beauty to this cold winter season, says commentator Barbara J. King.
