A mother’s influence
Think of all the things your mom taught you — sit up straight, close your mouth when you chew, remember to say please and thank you … the list goes on. When it comes to learning how to behave, though, humans aren’t alone in looking to their mothers. A group of researchers led by Richard Wrangham, the Ruth B. Moore Professor of Biological Anthropology, has shown, for the first time, that chimpanzees learn certain grooming styles from their mothers — and once learned, they continue to perform the behaviors the same way, long after the deaths of their mothers. The study is described in a paper in Current Biology. “I think what it really shows is how strong the maternal influence is,” Wrangham said. “It’s very charming, really — our oldest-known son was almost 40 years old, still doing what his long-dead mother did.” The scientists studied “high-arm grooming,” a behavior that occurs during...