By comparing the genomes of the social snub-nosed monkeys with genomes from less-social related monkeys, known as odd-nosed monkeys, and with those of more dist

By comparing the genomes of the social snub-nosed monkeys with genomes from less-social related monkeys, known as odd-nosed monkeys, and with those of more distant primate relatives, Qi and his colleagues identified genes that seem to be connected with the formation of large multilevel societies. The group found that changes in climate more than six million years ago drove the monkeys’ social structure to shift from small groups with one male and a few females to complex societies with multiple males and females. In other words, in high risk environments, having social mechanisms to allow for the sharing of risk across more individuals effectively mitigates aggregate risk and thus benefits survival. Reminds me of the period of evolution of corporate structure in European history from financing spice trade voyages. PS. On the subject of evolution, if you ever get a chance to visit Western Australia, the location of one of the co-authoring academic, its plants are AWESOME due to isolated evolution from Gondwanaland.