Barbara Etschmann

Women loading pots on a Motu lakatoi trading vessel, in this photograph published in 1887. J. W. Lindt

Men traded wares – but women traded knowledge: what a new archaeological study tells us about PNG sea trade

Archaeologists once assumed that men were responsible for seafaring trade in Papua New Guinea. New research shows how women played a fundamental role.
Tellurium pieces. Jan Askeit / Wikimedia

How metal‑munching microbes help the rare, toxic element tellurium circulate in the environment

Tellurium is a critical mineral for renewable energy – but little is known about its environmental effects and how it circulates in the wild.

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