Humans present a behavioural paradox: they are peaceful in many circumstances, but they
are also violent and kill conspecifics at high rates. We describe a social evolutionary theory …

Interpreting sound gives powerful insight into the health of ecosystems. Beyond detecting
the presence of wildlife, bioacoustic signals can reveal their behavior. However, behavioral …

Through syntax, ie, the combination of words into larger phrases, language can express a
limitless number of messages. Data in great apes, our closest-living relatives, are central to …

To see how the flow of energy across ecosystems can derive evolution, I introduce a
framework in which individuals interact with their peers and environment to accumulate …

Many group-living animals coordinate social behaviours using contact calls, which can be
produced for all group members or targeted at specific individuals. In the disc-winged bat …

Since the time of Darwin, theories have been proposed on the origin and functions of music;
however, the subject remains enigmatic. The literature shows that music is closely related to …

A major evolutionary transition in individuality involves the formation of a cooperative group
and the transformation of that group into an evolutionary entity. Human cooperation shares …

Collective behaviors efficiently impart benefits to a diversity of species ranging from bacteria
to humans. Fly larvae tend to cluster and form coordinated digging groups under crowded …

Vocal communication is an emblematic feature of group-living animals, used to share
information and strengthen social bonds. Vocalizations are also used to coordinate group …

This paper makes three interconnected claims:(i) the “human condition” cannot be captured
by evolutionary narratives that reduce it to a recent 'cognitive modernity', nor by narratives …