A long-running, lethal conflict among Ugandan chimpanzees may reveal the roots of human warfare, but NSF funding cuts of half could end this vital research. Since 2015, the Ngogo group has experienced unprecedented violence, with 28 deaths including 19 infants. This civil-war-like warfare among our closest relatives offers unprecedented insights into human conflict origins.

However, the Trump administration's proposed 2027 budget slashes National Science Foundation funds by more than half, potentially halting this groundbreaking work. The research, led by primatologists like John Mitani, has documented how shifting social bonds can escalate into deadly violence, a parallel to human history. The Ngogo conflict shows how even without ideology, lethal warfare can emerge from fractured social structures.

If funding disappears, this unique window into our evolutionary past will close forever.