Stop Monkeying Around

Have you ever been around someone who genuinely annoys you? Maybe it's your sister, brother or Uncle at Christmas. A recent survey is finding that how people behave can actually be linked to their genes. Scientists at the University of Oxford have discovered that genes play a major role in the behavior of both primates and humans. The researchers looked at the family tree of 217 primates. Their findings have shown:

¶ That social structure is shaped by environment — for instance, a species whose food is widely dispersed may need to live in large groups.

¶ That complex societies evolve step by step from simple ones.

¶ And the so-called social brain hypothesis: that intelligence and brain volume increase with group size because individuals must manage more social relationships.

The findings challenge social constructions. Put simply, the survey emphasizes how important genes are in shaping sociality. I found this article intriguing because it spoke about family trees, which we spoke about in class.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/20/science/genes-play-major-role-in-primate-social-behavior-study-finds.html?ref=science