Why a chimp 'civil war' shows how societies collapse
In the mid-1970s, primatologist Jane Goodall witnessed a four-year conflict amongst chimpanzees in Tanzania where they killed each other—a primate civil war. Now it's happening again in the largest known chimpanzee community, offering insights into how human societies can fall apart.
In the mid-1970s, primatologist Jane Goodall witnessed something that changed her opinion of chimpanzees forever: A four-year conflict amongst the chimpanzees she was studying in Tanzania. Chimpanzees that knew each other started killing each other. It was essentially the primate equivalent of a civil war. And now, it's happening again: Fighting within the largest known community of chimpanzees. NPR science correspondent Nate Rott helps us break down what's going on and what it could tell us about how human communities can fall apart.
Read all of Nate's story here.
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This episode was produced by Rachel Carlson. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones checked the facts. The audio engineer was Jimmy Keeley.