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, […]
evolution
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 […]
Language and human uniqueness
Paleoanthropology, the study of ancient humans, continually revises our understanding of what makes Homo sapiens unique. Initially, the faculty of ‘language’ was thought to be exclusive to modern humans. This view expanded to include Neanderthals as new evidence came to light. Now, even Homo erectus, our ancient ancestor, is considered to have had this capacity. […]
Biology, not philosophy
It’s a sunny spring day and the birds are busy. Some are flying about, perhaps foraging. I notice one that is staring at me from under the bush. What does it want? Suddenly, the bird returns with a little stick in its beak, flies away and disappears into a tree. Ah, it’s probably building a […]
On Anthropology (I)
Sapiens is a digital magazine whose mission is to bring anthropology to the public. It has a pop-up window that asks you whether you are ‘a human’ and would like to subscribe, otherwise you are ‘not a human’. I found it funny and witty, but also odd.