Chimps have experimented with sex more than humans
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21929265.100-chimps-have-experimented-with-sex-more-than-humans.html

IT IS a question not just of prurient but also evolutionary interest: what was the mating behaviour of our extinct relatives?

With living apes so variable in their sexual preferences, it’s tough to work out the sex habits of the ancestor common to humans and chimps. Gorilla groups contain just one sexually active male and several females, for example, while among chimps, several sexually active males breed with the group’s active females – and vice versa. Humans, meanwhile, show a variety of mating behaviours but often form monogamous couples.

more…

naughty chimps

I shall read the article… but is humans forming monogamous relationships more of an ideal (morally and/or ethically) than primal behaviour?

Divine Angel said:

I shall read the article… but is humans forming monogamous relationships more of an ideal (morally and/or ethically) than primal behaviour?

A religious ideal or a social ideal? I would have thought an ideal but I did glance at this article from the daily mail yesterday so it seems the answer is primal

Study finds primates evolved from multi-mate to monogamous societies
In non-monogamous communities, rival males will try to kill children to encourage the female to want to mate sooner
Monogamy means the father is always on hand to protect the child
As a result, the child is well nurtured and develops a ‘larger’ brain
This evolutionary trait in primates can also be assigned to humans

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2380796/People-monogamous-relationships-likely-intelligent-children.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/humans-evolved-monogamous-relationships-to-stop-men-killing-rivals-babies-says-study-8737095.html

http://guardianlv.com/2013/08/the-evolutionary-enigma-of-monogamy/

CrazyNeutrino said:

Chimps have experimented with sex more than humans

That is not an accurate statement. Chimps have experimented with different group politics maybe,,,,

Riff-in-Thyme said:

CrazyNeutrino said:

Chimps have experimented with sex more than humans

That is not an accurate statement. Chimps have experimented with different group politics maybe,,,,

They haven’t really experimented at all. They’ve been subject to particular kinds of genetic mutation resulting in differing behaviours.

Bubblecar said:

Riff-in-Thyme said:

CrazyNeutrino said:

Chimps have experimented with sex more than humans

That is not an accurate statement. Chimps have experimented with different group politics maybe,,,,

They haven’t really experimented at all. They’ve been subject to particular kinds of genetic mutation resulting in differing behaviours.

It is more a local economy thing I think. In humans, within my experience, it is males who are insecure regarding the fidelity of a partner for primarily self image concerns. Females(in my general experience) experience insecurity for their future with fidelity matters. I have known plenty of women who would be happy to have more open arrangements were things different in their social/economic environment.

Riff-in-Thyme said:

Bubblecar said:

Riff-in-Thyme said:

That is not an accurate statement. Chimps have experimented with different group politics maybe,,,,

They haven’t really experimented at all. They’ve been subject to particular kinds of genetic mutation resulting in differing behaviours.

It is more a local economy thing I think. In humans, within my experience, it is males who are insecure regarding the fidelity of a partner for primarily self image concerns. Females(in my general experience) experience insecurity for their future with fidelity matters. I have known plenty of women who would be happy to have more open arrangements were things different in their social/economic environment.

Maybe, but I doubt that chimps even pause to reflect about such things :)

Their divergence from the behaviours of a common human-chimp ancestor would be due to natural selection working on their particular grab-bag of mutations.

Bubblecar said:

Riff-in-Thyme said:

Bubblecar said:

They haven’t really experimented at all. They’ve been subject to particular kinds of genetic mutation resulting in differing behaviours.

It is more a local economy thing I think. In humans, within my experience, it is males who are insecure regarding the fidelity of a partner for primarily self image concerns. Females(in my general experience) experience insecurity for their future with fidelity matters. I have known plenty of women who would be happy to have more open arrangements were things different in their social/economic environment.

Maybe, but I doubt that chimps even pause to reflect about such things :)

Their divergence from the behaviours of a common human-chimp ancestor would be due to natural selection working on their particular grab-bag of mutations.

Or maybe they just like ‘sperimentin’.

>Or maybe they just like ‘sperimentin’.

No, that’s not really what the articles are about – it’s just a misleading headline.

Bubblecar said:

Maybe, but I doubt that chimps even pause to reflect about such things :)

Their divergence from the behaviours of a common human-chimp ancestor would be due to natural selection working on their particular grab-bag of mutations.

I think there is the same principal at work. A more demanding environment requires more rigorous rules.

Bubblecar said:

>Or maybe they just like ‘sperimentin’.

No, that’s not really what the articles are about – it’s just a misleading headline.

I know. Just stirring is all. But you gotta admit those bonobos are crazy shaggers.

Humans obviously engage in a far wider variety behaviours than chimps, as a result of cognitive differences (and we’re very much more “experimental” in our behaviours than they are). What they’re talking about is the extent to which chimps have diverged from the behaviours of our common ancestor, in ways which different from us and which reflect a different evolutionary history.

Add an ‘of’ and ‘are’ to my last post.

Bubblecar said:

Add an ‘of’ and ‘are’ to my last post.

err,,,, next to the ones I automatically added?

>>Humans, meanwhile, show a variety of mating behaviours but often form monogamous couples.

Humans, many of them, possibly most, are both polyamorous and monogamous. They may tend toward monogamy because they are polyamorous. People separating and getting new partners might also be seen as serial monogamy, next best acceptable thing to being polyamorous.