The Evolutionary Ecology of Cooperation: Insights from Hadza Hunter-Gatherers | Alyssa Crittenden, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Cooperation lies at the heart of human evolution, shaping both our biology and our social environment. Here, we examine the ecological and evolutionary underpinnings of cooperation through lessons learned from long-term fieldwork among the Hadza hunter-gatherers of northern Tanzania. Food sharing, communal births, multi-person childcare and sentinel sleep will be highlighted as interdependent strategies that structure human life history, mitigate risk and enhance survival. By situating Hadza practices within comparative and evolutionary frameworks, I argue that these systems reveal cooperation as a fundamental adaptation that underpinned the emergence of our species. Understanding the ecology of cooperation among contemporary gatherers offers a critical perspective on the evolutionary pathways that have made us an exceptionally collaborative species.