Acclaimed primatologist Frans de Waal dies at 75

Washington.- The primatologist Frans de Waalwhose study of chimpanzees and apes helped reveal the conciliatory and empathetic nature of primates, including humans, died at age 75, reported Emory University, where he worked for decades.

De Waal, who won multiple awards throughout his extensive career, succumbed to stomach cancer on March 14, referred Emory University in a statement.

The scientist born in the Netherlands wrote several books of great impact. In 2007 he made Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

He spent decades studying chimpanzees and apes, and his biological research ultimately helped debunk the theory that primates, including humans, were by nature competitive, “nasty,” and aggressive.

“De Waal shattered long-held ideas about what it means to be an animal and a human being,” said the statement from the university based in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. “De Waal shattered long-held ideas about what it means to be an animal and a human being,” said the statement from the university based in the city of Atlanta, Georgia.

“He demonstrated the roots of human nature in our closest living relatives through his studies of conflict resolution, reconciliation, cooperation, empathy, justice, morality, social learning and culture in chimpanzees, bonobos and capuchin monkeys,” he said.

Lynne Nygaard, chair of Emory’s Department of Psychology, remembered de Waal as “an extraordinarily deep thinker” who could offer “perspectives that transcend all disciplines.”

“It is difficult to summarize the enormity of Frans de Waal’s reach, both globally and here at Emory,” he noted in the statement.

De Waal wrote critically acclaimed books that helped explain his research to a broader audience, including “The Monkey Inside Us,” “The Last Hug” and “The Age of Empathy.”

“I’ve brought the apes a little closer to the humans, but I’ve also made the humans a little smaller,” he said, as Emory recalled.

The scientist was a prolific speaker and his TED talks have been viewed millions of times, including one in 2011 in which he showed the “reconciliation” spirit of chimpanzees, the empathy and reciprocity of monkeys who shared food, and compared that social behavior with their human cousins.

“Humanity is actually much more cooperative and empathetic than we think,” he said at the conference.

De Waal won the EO Wilson Prize in 2020, and in 2021 the Ig Nobel, which rewards those who make people laugh and think.

Source: AFP