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Some Generous Apes May Help Explain The Evolution Of Human Kindness

Yvonne Vela Tona, one of the "mamas" at the sanctuary, looks after the young bonobo Esake. Ley Uwera for NPR hide caption

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Ley Uwera for NPR

Goats and Soda

Some Generous Apes May Help Explain The Evolution Of Human Kindness

Research on bonobos, one of our closest and gentlest relatives, may show how humans evolved to share and cooperate on a massive scale.

Some Generous Apes May Help Explain The Evolution Of Human Kindness

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Do Bonobos And Chimpanzees Offer A Path To Understanding Human Behavior?

Bonobos at the Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Courtesy of Vanessa Woods hide caption

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Courtesy of Vanessa Woods

Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Do Bonobos And Chimpanzees Offer A Path To Understanding Human Behavior?

What leads people to acts of violence and genocide? What triggers empathy and altruism? Duke evolutionary biologist Brian Hare and research scientist Vanessa Woods believe the answer may be found in the great ape known as the bonobo.

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