Baboon sexes differ in how social status gets ‘under the skin’

A growing body of evidence shows that those at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder are more likely to die prematurely than those at the top. The pattern isn’t unique to humans: Across many animals, the lower an individual’s social status, the worse their health. But new research in baboons suggests that the nature of the status-health relationship depends on whether an individual has to fight for status, or it’s given to them.