America Is Heading For Civil War (So Says Chimp Research)

In this episode of Based Camp, Simone and Malcolm explore the ongoing chimpanzee civil war in Uganda’s Ngogo community—the largest wild chimp group ever studied—and what it reveals about how civil conflicts actually start.

What looks like a random outbreak of violence among chimps turns out to be the mechanical result of a few subtle shifts: the deaths of key intermediary individuals who once connected rival subgroups, a power transition, and the complete breakdown of everyday social exchange. Once those bridging relationships vanished, the community split into hostile blocs that began patrolling, ambushing, and killin...