The New Chimpanzee: A Twenty-First-Century Portrait of Our Closest Kin (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780674977112)

Recent discoveries about wild chimpanzees have dramatically reshaped our understanding of these great apes and their kinship with humans. We now know that chimpanzees not only have genomes similar to our own but also plot political coups, wage wars over territory, pass on cultural traditions to younger generations, and ruthlessly strategize for resources, including sexual partners. In The New Chimpanzee, Craig Stanford challenges us to let apes guide our inquiry into what it means to be human.

With wit and lucidity, Stanford explains what the past two decades of chimpanzee field research has taught us about the origins of human social behavior, the nature of aggression and communication, and the divergence of humans and apes from a common ancestor. Drawing on his extensive observations of chimpanzee behavior and social dynamics, Stanford adds to our knowledge of chimpanzees' political intelligence, sexual power plays, violent ambition, cultural diversity, and adaptability.

The New Chimpanzee portrays a complex and even more humanlike ape than the one Jane Goodall popularized more than a half century ago. It also sounds an urgent call for the protection of our nearest relatives at a moment when their survival is at risk.

Author: Craig Stanford
ISBN-10: 0674977114
ISBN-13: 9780674977112
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Language: English
Published: 03/19/2018
Pages: 288
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.40w x 1.10d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 09/01/2018