We ain’t monkeyin’ around here.
Remember when, I asked y'all about great ape human rights, and brought up how Austrian courts will judge on it earlier this month? I've been keeping track of this news, and caught a News @ Nature piece titled, "Chimp denied a legal guardian," which reports that, "An Austrian judge turned down a request this week... Continue Reading →
The Mountain Gorilla, Gorilla beringei beringei, is the primate comeback kid. I previously shared news with you that their population has been making a rebound. Since then, The Times has published a news article on this topic. (Thanks, Paulin!) Before we get into it, I wanted to say that I haven't noticed any US news... Continue Reading →
In chimpanzee communities, it pays to be close with your maternal brethren, according to a brand new publication in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The large chimpanzee population at Ngogo in Kibale National Park, Uganda, was studied for this research paper both thru behavioral and molecular approaches. I'm... Continue Reading →
I was contacted by organizers of Chautauqua to help spread the word that Jane Goodall will be speaking at the event on July 6th, 2007 at 10:45 am. You should thank me because I had to scour the event webpage and as well as the Chautauqua webpage to find the exact date and time. What... Continue Reading →
A new public database has been released that overviews the status of endangered and almost extinct animals. I feel like it is a critical and timely resource, especially in regards to primate conservation efforts. The project is called EDGE, and currently lemurs are at the top of the most critically endangered primates on that list,... Continue Reading →
A new study has changed the lives of seven mandrills for the better at England’s Chester Zoo. With the help of zoo staff, Durham University researchers found that placing shrubs between the glass enclosure and the visitor’s area reduced stress levels (as seen through aberrant behaviors) and increased natural behaviors. Examples provided: approaching the glass... Continue Reading →
In almost one year of blogging here, we haven't yet covered how the study of biophysics intersects with primatology. (Update: I realized I kinda lied, I forgot about this post on gibbon gait. Oops.) Biophysics, in a sense, is the study of the form and function of bodies, and is formally defined as the application... Continue Reading →
When I first saw this beautiful image of geladas, I thought it was two males mourning a dead comrade. But after reading the caption, boy was I ever wrong. What's happening here is grooming. I wanted to share this photo with you because grooming is one of the most common behavioral features between all primates,... Continue Reading →
...Or rather why did Mark interpret this information that way? I know, I know, rhetorical question, to some extent. I don't think that we are yet at a stage of comparing genetic sequences to say one organism is more evolved than the other. But Mark Henderson, 'Science Editor' of the newspaper The Times, seems to... Continue Reading →
A new genus and three species of primate have been announced at last month's annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, and we just got news of it via Science Daily. The announcement has come by way of Jim Westgate, a professor of earth and space sciences at Lamar University and also research... Continue Reading →
