Insights into human evolution from 60 years of research on chimpanzees at Gombe

Wilson, Michael L.

doi:10.1017/ehs.2021.2

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 148 publications

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“…The literature—old and new—is rife with statements that the African ape morphotype is too specialized to approximate that of the LCA of hominins and great apes (e.g., Le Gros Clark, 1936; Lovejoy, Simpson, et al, 2009; Lovejoy & McCollum, 2010; McCollum et al, 2010; Mivart, 1873; Morton, 1926; Senut, 2014; Senut et al, 2018; Straus, 1940, 1968; White et al, 2015; White, Asfaw, et al, 2009; Wood, 1929), an assertion that has not, to date, been supported by convincing evidence. Latimer et al (1981, p. 485) argued “we are no longer forced (quoting Zihlman et al, 1978, p. 744) ‘…to work backward from the living hominoids to reconstruct a prototype of the common ancestor;’ in fact, we are explicitly prevented from doing so.” We pointedly disagree with this sentiment and think extant apes, especially chimpanzees and gorillas, are integral to the study of human evolution (Hunt, 2020; Hunt et al, 2021; Muller et al, 2017; Pilbeam & Lieberman, 2017; Stanford, 2012; Whiten et al, 2010; Wilson, 2021; Wrangham & Pilbeam, 2002). Andrews (2020; see also Andrews & Harrison, 2005) outlined three approaches to reconstructing hominin origins: from the hominin lineage, from the Miocene ape fossil record broadly, and from extant hominoids.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Latimer et al (1981, p. 485) argued "we are no longer forced (quoting Zihlman et al, 1978, p. 744) '…to work backward from the living hominoids to reconstruct a prototype of the common ancestor;' in fact, we are explicitly prevented from doing so." We pointedly disagree with this sentiment and think extant apes, especially chimpanzees and gorillas, are integral to the study of human evolution (Hunt, 2020;Hunt et al, 2021;Muller et al, 2017;Pilbeam & Lieberman, 2017;Stanford, 2012;Whiten et al, 2010;Wilson, 2021;Wrangham & Pilbeam, 2002). Andrews (2020; see also Andrews & Harrison, 2005) outlined three approaches to reconstructing hominin origins: from the hominin lineage, from the Miocene ape fossil record broadly, and from extant hominoids.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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African apes and the evolutionary history of orthogrady and bipedalism

Williams

Prang

Russo

et al. 2023

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

African apes and the evolutionary history of orthogrady and bipedalism

Williams

Prang

Russo

et al. 2023

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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“…A more parsimonious phylogenetic model sees the multifamily system of humans as having evolved through a transition from ancestral multimale–multifemale groups to stable breeding bonds at some point after the Pan‐Homo split and the later aggregating of groups into first loosely and then strongly bonded communities 2,3 . (But see also References 19, 100–102).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do we need to reclassify the social systems of gregarious apes?

Grueter

Wilson

2021

Evolutionary Anthropology

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Decades of research have led to a solid understanding of the social systems of gregarious apes: chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and gibbons. As field studies have increasingly collected data from multiple neighboring habituated groups, genetic and social interconnections have been revealed. These findings provide a more nuanced picture of intergroup relations in apes, and have led to claims in the literature that some ape taxa have multilevel societies. A multilevel society is defined as a nested collection of social entities comprising at least two discernible levels of social integration between the individual and the population. We argue that the evidence for multilevel sociality sensu stricto in apes is currently inconclusive and that it is premature to abandon the traditional classification of ape social systems. However, available findings appear to be consistent with the existence of some degree of higher social grouping patterns. We propose the term supra‐group organization which may adequately capture ape social systems when viewed from a top‐down perspective.

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“…However, the study of bonobos is in its infancy compared to the more than 60 years of detailed studies of multiple chimpanzee communities, so our understanding of the species is still developing (Wilson 2021).…”

Section: Myth 1a: the Peacefulness Of Bonobos Demonstrates That Early...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Myths About the Evolution of War: Apes, Foragers, and the Stories We Tell

Glowacki¹

2023

Preprint

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The role of warfare in human evolution is among the most contentious topics in the evolutionary sciences. The debate is especially heated because many assume that whether our early human ancestors were peaceful or warlike has important implications for modern human nature. Arguments about origins of war often use the behavior of other animal species and recent hunter-gatherers to make inferences about ancestral behavior in human evolution. One side argues that warfare has a deep evolutionary history and was likely a selective force in human evolution, while the other views war as a recent development, primarily developing with the rise of sedentism and agriculture. I show that although both positions have empirical support warranting consideration, each sometimes disregards alternative evidence and relies on stereotypes that ignore variation in primate behavior and the complex reality of hunter-gatherer worlds. Many characterizations about the evolution of war are, at best, partial truths. Bonobos and chimpanzees provide important insights relevant for understanding the origins of violence, but both models are potentially limited in explaining human intergroup relationships. Hunter-gatherers often had war, but like humans everywhere, our human ancestors likely had a range of relationships depending on the social context, including cooperative intergroup affiliation. Taken together, our evolutionary legacy almost certainly includes small-scale warfare as well as friendship and cooperation across group boundaries.

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Insights into human evolution from 60 years of research on chimpanzees at Gombe

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Cited by 8 publications

References 148 publications

African apes and the evolutionary history of orthogrady and bipedalism

African apes and the evolutionary history of orthogrady and bipedalism

Do we need to reclassify the social systems of gregarious apes?

Myths About the Evolution of War: Apes, Foragers, and the Stories We Tell

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