(COURTESY OF TAN JINGZHI)

You've been interested in wildlife since childhood. Why, and who has been your greatest influence?

I think my mother has [had] the greatest impact on me. I loved animals and nature as every kid does, however, it was my mother who taught me to respect and take care of others, [humans and animals alike].

You studied life science at Peking University and continued your research in evolutionary anthropology at Duke University in the United States. What do you find most interesting about the subject?

[It] is the perfect intersection of my love for animals and my craving to understand humans. By studying human's closest relatives, bonobos and chimpanzees, we can have a better understanding on why we sometimes are so good at working with each other, and why we are so bad at other times. The latter question is very crucial because many global problems [like] the conservation of endangered species demand long-term and large-scale cooperation. The fact is, we've always failed.

So, to answer the question how we can work together in a better way, studying the evolution of cooperation provides the ultimate approach.