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Is the 'Alpha Male' a Myth? New Research in Primates May Debunk Theory

GERMANY AND FRANCE, JUL 9 – Analysis of 253 studies on 121 primate species found male dominance occurs in only 17% of populations, with most showing shared or ambiguous power dynamics.

  • Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and the University of Montpellier published Monday in PNAS that data from 253 studies show most primate populations lack clear sex dominance.
  • Prompted by long-standing assumptions, primatologists believed males naturally dominate due to size and survival roles, but researcher biases shaped these early views.
  • Analysis of 253 studies shows 17% of primate groups exhibit strict male dominance, 13% strict female dominance, and 70% shared or ambiguous patterns, with male dominance linked to larger size and terrestrial groups.
  • These findings suggest human gender inequality stems from cultural, not evolutionary, factors, as humans lack fixed sex-dominance traits, according to recent primate research.
  • The study's authors suggest primate ancestors likely had flexible power structures, with significant variation within species, prompting broader investigation of evolutionary pressures.
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Pedro, Raúl, Luis and Santi, the four friends who star in the Spanish series “Machos Alfa”, by Netflix – which is already going for its third season and which this year has added adaptations in Italy and France– are four men in the middle of their lives who seek to stop being “machirulos”, that is, traditional men, who provide, do not cry and make the big decisions in their family and work environments. For them, wanting to change is not an opti…

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La Jornada broke the news in Mexico on Tuesday, July 8, 2025.
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