Why Do Chimps Kill Each Other?
War—what is it good for? “Absolutely nothing” according to the refrain of a 1970 hit song. Many humans would agree with this sentiment. But a major new study of warfare…
biology
How Evolutionary Principles Could Help Save Our World
The age of the Anthropocene–the scientific name given to our current geologic age–is dominated by human impacts on our environment. A warming climate. Increased resistance of pathogens and pests. A…
Why Humans Don't Suffer From Chimpanzee Malaria: DNA Region Controlling Red Blood Cell Invasion Holds Genetic Key to Infection
By comparing the genomes of malaria parasites that affect chimpanzees and those that affect humans, researchers discovered that it is the difference in the parasites’ surface proteins that determine which…
Nature or Nurture? It’s All About the Message
Were Albert Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci born brilliant or did they acquire their intelligence through effort? No one knows for sure, but telling people the latter – that hard…
The Games Genes Play: Algorithm Helps Explain Sex in Evolution
What do you get when you mix theorists in computer science with evolutionary biologists? You get an algorithm to explain sex. It turns out that 155 years after Charles Darwin…
From Contemporary Syntax to Human Language’s Deep Origins
On the island of Java, in Indonesia, the silvery gibbon, an endangered primate, lives in the rainforests. In a behavior that’s unusual for a primate, the silvery gibbon sings: It…