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Evolutionary biology

The path to sociality

Nature volume 479, pages 182–183 (2011)Cite this article

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A comparative analysis traces the trajectory of change in social organization among primates and establishes a firm foundation for modelling the origins of social complexity. See Letter p.219

Recent discoveries related to human origins — from new fossils to ancient DNA — have stirred intense interest from scientific journals and the popular media. But perhaps more intriguing are the intimate lives of our distant ancestors. Although the steamy details may be shrouded in the mists of time, some hints about the sequence of events that led to the evolution of human social systems are emerging. The latest evidence comes from Shultz et al.1, who on page 219 of this issue trace the evolution of complex sociality within the order Primates. Their data provide a strong foundation for modelling the origins of hominid mating systems by constraining the range of likely trajectories of social change.

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Figure 1: Living together.

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  1. Joan B. Silk is in the Department of Anthropology and the Center for Society and Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90064, USA.,

    Joan B. Silk

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  1. Joan B. Silk
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Correspondence to Joan B. Silk.

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Silk, J. The path to sociality. Nature 479, 182–183 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/479182a

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