Tuesday, April 24, 2007

monkey business

More evidence in support of evolution. (As if we needed any.)

Turns out that human politics aren't far advanced from chimp politics:
Nepotism is known to be important in chimpanzee society, but male chimps' ability to cooperate extends beyond family connections, new research reveals...

Extensive cooperation among non-relatives suggests that chimps do it for selfish reasons, with the expectation that favours will be reciprocated, says Langergraber. Human societies use cooperation with similar motives – another behaviour shared with our primate cousins.

It's only a matter of time before scientists expose elaborate jungle kick-back schemes.

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