CHIMP FRIENDSHIP: Primates Steal Less From Friends, Even for Pineapple...

Chimpanzees appear to distinguish between social relationships when deciding whether to take food—a finding that suggests primate societies have informal rules about stealing and trust, much like humans do. This kind of behavioral selectivity points toward evolutionary origins of fairness norms, hinting that concepts like friendship and reciprocity aren't uniquely human inventions but may have deep roots in our shared primate ancestry. The discovery adds to growing evidence that our closest living relatives possess social sophistication beyond simple dominance hierarchies.