When we observe humanity from a perspective of animal behaviour (ethology), we find something unusual: human females do not look or act like females in most other species. Instead, they exhibit behaviours and characteristics that, in the rest of the animal kingdom, are associated with males competing for mates. This might seem counterintuitive at first, […]
domestication
Culture and the Myth of Learning
A young chimpanzee, clinging to its mother, will stretch out its hand or make vocal requests for a bite of what the mother is eating. Sometimes, the mother obliges and offers the infant some food; other times, she remains focused on her own meal, leaving the infant to fend for itself. The infant must be […]
Human Domestication: Dispersal
We often hear about the similarities between humans and our closest primate relatives—chimpanzees and bonobos—especially when it comes to social behaviours, like the mother–child bond. These comparisons are used to draw beautiful parallels that make us feel more connected to the animal kingdom, but this often requires ignoring the differences. In this article, I talk […]
Who domesticated humans?
I have long been entertaining the following hypothesis about the origin of our species. Millions of years ago, an ape began to take an active interest in its progeny. Children became a resource. Mothers and others would favour docile, educable offspring who could be turned into reproductive allies that would give them more descendants. Human […]