The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA) in Leipzig is an interdisciplinary research institute that explores the biological and cultural history of humankind. It brings together scientists from genetics, archaeology, linguistics, anthropology, cognitive science and other fields to study how human populations — past and present — evolved, how our languages and cultures changed, and how we relate to other primates. Its research ranges from ancient DNA and archaeogenetics to primate behaviour, cultural evolution, and human cognition. By combining data from fossils, genomes, languages, archaeological records, and living societies, MPI-EVA seeks to reconstruct the deep pathways that shaped who we are today.