JamesFL: How a troupe of baboons faired after all of th alpha males died.

You should read this about a the discovery a biologist made while researching Baboons who faired well after the Alpha males died.

You can also listen to an audio version on Radiolab.com narated by Robert Krowlwich of NPR

I got an email last night from a former student (thanks Hendrick!) who wanted to let me know that Stanford's Robert Sapolsky had done a WNYC radio show called "New Normal?" (listen here) where he described his 2004 article with Lisa Share on a troop of baboons -- which became more peaceful (or at least less nasty) after the alpha males died. It is amazing stuff, and more evidence that being a jerk and having power go hand in hand. Here is a link to the original academic article (which I was able to download for free). It is short and quite accessible, and just astounding stuff: Here is how I described it in The No Asshole Rule:

via This Link bobsutton.typepad.com

comment by James Lico
In our society the alpha males would be akin to conservatives and you can vote them out of office. This is a perfect example of the "no asshole rule at work"

You can also listen to an audio version on Radiolab.com narated by Robert Krowlwich of NPR .

(Hugo!/flickr)HJohn Horgan examines how Americans seem to have a completely different attitude toward war than we did thirty years ago. He takes us on a stroll through Hoboken, asking strangers one of the great unanswerable questions: "Will humans ever stop fighting wars?" Strangely, everyone seems to know the answer. Robert Sapolsky brings us farther afield - to eastern Africa, where a population of baboons defies his expectations of violent behavior. Robert is surprised to feel hopeful for a gentler future, but then primatologistRichard Wrangham asserts that their aggressive nature is innate, unchanging, and hanging over them like a guillotine.