Humans Aren’t the Only Animals With Complex Culture — but Researchers Point to One Feature That Makes Ours Unique

Of the 8.7 million species on Earth, why are human beings the only one that paints self-portraits, walks on the Moon and worships gods? For decades, many scholars have argued that the difference stems from our ability to learn from each other. But extensive data has emerged suggesting that other animals, including bees, chimpanzees and crows, can also generate cultural complexity through social learning.

Challenging Primate Presumptions

In her recent book Primate Socioecology: Shifting Perspectives, Lynne A. Isbell presents a new way of classifying primate social organizations. Primates are unusual among mammals in having a wide diversity of social organizations, including living alone, in pairs, in small cohesive groups, in large cohesive groups, and in groups whose members split up and come back together repeatedly.

Being Part of a ‘Civilization’ Only Reduces Violence If You’re a Woman in Ancient Andes Populations

The extent to which “civilization” heightens or lessens the likelihood of violent conflict throughout human history has remained one of the most enduring questions among anthropologists. But a new collaborative study of archaeological groups from the Andes region of South America suggests that being part of a centrally organized state society is only part of the equation.

The Unseen Step Between Farm and Table

In her short film Unpacking Immigration, anthropology doctoral candidate Harleen Bal illuminates what she calls the “unseen middle step between the farm and the table” by exploring the lives of immigrant meatpackers living in Livingston, California.