News Humans

In-laws transformed early human society

Human culture may stem from marital twist among ancient hunter-gatherers

By Bruce Bower

- More than 2 years ago

Give it up for in-laws. Those much-maligned meddlers helped spur an ancient social revolution that propelled human groups from savannas to cities, a new study suggests.

CAULDRON OF CULTURE New evidence suggests that hunter-gatherers, such as these Agta people from the Philippines, display a social structure that may have ignited cultural learning among ancient human ancestors.