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New Research Challenges the Killer Ape Theory of Human Violence
University of Lincoln researchers challenge the assumption that human violence is a hardwired evolutionary trait, arguing that cooperation—not aggression—is humanity's primary adaptive strategy, with violence emerging from context and conditions.
Key Takeaways
- University of Lincoln research challenges the assumption that violence is a hardwired evolutionary trait in humans
- Chimpanzee violence comparisons ignore bonobos and fail to account for ecological context driving aggression
- Prehistoric skeletal trauma clusters during resource stress, suggesting violence is conditional rather than baseline
- Cooperation and social norm enforcement, not aggression, may have been humanity's primary evolutionary adaptation
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DT Editorial AI··via phys.org