The work of a  team of researchers led by Dr. Bonaventura Majolo from the University of Lincoln has been featured on the BBC News Website:

Monkey behaviour offers clues to conflict management

Here’s a short extract from the article:

The international project involves researchers from Lincoln, Roehampton, Gottingen in Germany and Gent, Belgium, along with Morocco’s Ecole Nationale Forestière d’Ingénieurs.

They believe this endangered primate, whose numbers have declined from 70,000 to 5,000 in the past 30 years, could offer precious clues as to how and why different aspects of society developed in social species.

“The study has revealed interesting parallels between macaque and human society – from the perils of over-indulging on junk food, to the underhand tactics males will employ to usurp their rivals in wooing a mate.

“Looking at what factors affect reconciliation in primates might help tell us why this mechanism to manage conflict evolved and whether it requires a species to have complex cognitive abilities.

“We hope to learn more about the origins of behaviours critical to preserving harmonious relationships in complex societies,” said Dr Majolo.