Future benefits rarely figure in the minds of animals.

Future benefits rarely figure in the minds of animals.

Male chimpanzees have an extraordinarily strong drive for dominance. They're constantly jockeying for position.

Unlike the primate hand, the elephant's grasping organ is also its nose. Elephants use their trunks not only to reach food but also to sniff and touch it. With their unparalleled sense of smell, the animals know exactly what they are going for. Vision is secondary.

People want to work with somebody who feels shame, who worries about the perceptions of others. Dishonesty is something we don't like in others.

The evolutionary struggle for survival is really a self-serving series of blows and stabs, and yet it can lead to extremely social animals like dolphins, wolves or, for that matter, primates.

After World War II it was decided that, in order to prevent the Germans and the French from having another war, it would be better to tie them together into one economic pact so they would invest in each other and have mutual stakes. Until now, that has worked to prevent warfare between the two.