You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.

Hey, shortwaver is Emily Kwong here.

Today's story starts with the late and legendary primatologist Jane Goodall.

During her field work with chimpanzees in the mid-1970s, she witnessed something that changed her opinion of chimps forever.

I used to think, well, they're very like people, but nicer.

And then I realized that when opportunity arises, they have this nasty, brutal side to them just like we do.

This is an interview Jane did with Terry Gross on fresh air back in 1993.

And what Jane Goodall is referring to here is a four-year conflict that broke

out amongst the chimpanzees she was studying in Tanzania. Chimps that knew each other started

killing each other. It was essentially the primate equivalent of a civil war. You know, when humans

fight a war, you always want to know what is the war about? What is the motivation? Who is wronging who?

When chimps fight a war, what is it about?

Well, this particular war is the only one we've ever seen, and we're not too sure. I think we shan't be very sure until it happens again.

Well, now it's happening again.

In the largest known community of chimpanzees in the world, and scientists are documenting it in real time with videos like this. Yeah, one of the

things that's kind of wild about this whole story, Emily, is that like very much like the human wars

that are going on to the world right now, there is now cell phone footage of these conflicts happening.

Yeah, NPR science correspondent, Nate Rot. Hey there. Hey, Emily. So you've been talking to some of these researchers watching this unfold?

I have, yeah, including the primatologists who took that video. His name is Aaron Sandell. And he originally went to study this group of chimpanzees to try and better understand friendship in primates.

Now my focus has gone from understanding friendship to sort of how do friendships fall apart, how do communities fall apart.

Oh, he sounds so sad.

I know.

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