The bonds of affection between human mothers and their children are crucial for infant well-being. This suggests that such bonds might have a long evolutionary history. Writing in Nature Human Behaviour, Rolland et al. report evidence of human-like mother–infant bonding in wild Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus, pictured). The observations improve researchers’ understanding of these ‘attachment’ behaviours in our closest living primate relatives (E. Rolland et al. Nature Hum. Behav. https://doi.org/pmqj; 2025).
Competing Interests
The author declares no competing interests.