While many people like to cite humans as the only species who kill for no reason, we now know this to be a fallacy; it seems that primates in general do this. It’s not a sexist selection of primates, either; both male and female primates kill each other. Some even kill other primates’ babies out of spite. In fact, if you watch any type of documentary, such as Planet Earth, you’re bound to run across a species or two that uses violence to keep its subordinates in line. So maybe that violence is in our blood from the start.

But if it is, so is the ability to be peaceful. Plenty of primate tribes are peaceful groups, with little to no altercations among them. Most primates work together cooperatively. Some share tools. Some share child-raising duties. Some share pretty much everything, working with more of a Three Musketeers mentality rather than an “every monkey for himself” philosophy. Bonobos, for example, have proven to be able to embrace a peaceful culture.

Researchers say this may be attributed to the way they embrace sex, or rather, inter-gender sex. While the subject is taboo for many humans, bonobos have sex in groups, homosexual pairings, and varied couples in order to relieve tension, celebrate, or even just because. Bonobos are also typically led by females rather than males.