This must be orangutan speak for OK.
If an orangutan blows a raspberry, smacks you on the side of your body or gives you a nip on the arm, don’t worry. He’s simply asking if you want to play, it seems.
Continue reading… “Orangutans Use 40 Gestures to Communicate”
Great apes — orangutans, chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas — realize that they can be wrong when making choices, according to Dr. Josep Call from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. Dr. Call’s study was just published online in Springer’s journal, Animal Cognition.
Continue reading… “Great Apes Know They Could Be Wrong, Research Suggests”
New research suggests that evolutionary changes in cognitive development underlie the extensive social and behavioral differences that exist between two closely related species of great apes. The study, published online on January 28th in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, enhances our understanding of our two closest living relatives, chimpanzees and the lesser-known bonobos, and may provide key insight into human evolution.
Continue reading… “Developmental Delay May Explain Behavior of Easygoing Bonobo Apes”
The parasite that causes malignant malaria in humans has been detected in gorillas, along with two new species of malaria parasites, reports a study co-authored by UC Irvine biologist Francisco Ayala.
Continue reading… “Gorillas Carry Malignant Malaria Parasite, Study Reports”
The grooming behaviour displayed by primates is due to less rational behaviour than often thought. According to a computer model developed by scientists at the University of Groningen, one basic rule explains all possible grooming patterns: individuals will groom others if they’re afraid they’ll lose from them in a fight.
Most of the linguistic functions in humans are controlled by the left cerebral hemisphere. A study of captive chimpanzees at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center (Atlanta, Georgia), reported in the January 2010 issue of Elsevier’s Cortex, suggests that this “hemispheric lateralization” for language may have its evolutionary roots in the gestural communication of our common ancestors. A large majority of the chimpanzees in the study showed a significant bias towards right-handed gestures when communicating, which may reflect a similar dominance of the left hemisphere for communication in chimpanzees as that seen for language functions in humans.
Continue reading… “Right-Handed Chimpanzees Provide Clues to the Origin of Human Language”
Researchers have discovered a genetic variation that may contribute to how empathetic a human is, and how that person reacts to stress. In the first study of its kind, a variation in the hormone/neurotransmitter oxytocin’s receptor was linked to a person’s ability to infer the mental state of others.
Continue reading… “Genetic Variation Linked to Individual Empathy, Stress Levels”
Research at the universities of Liverpool and Oxford into the finger length of primate species has revealed that cooperative behavior is linked to exposure to hormone levels in the womb.
Continue reading… “Hormone That Affects Finger Length Key To Social Behavior”
The evolution of altruism has long puzzled researchers and has mainly been explained previously from ultimate perspectives—”I will help you now because I expect there to be some long-term benefit to me”. However, a new study by researchers at the Primate Research Institute (PRI) and the Wildlife Research Center (WRC) of Kyoto University shows that chimpanzees altruistically help conspecifics, even in the absence of direct personal gain or immediate reciprocation, although the chimpanzees were much more likely to help each other upon request than voluntarily.
Continue reading… “Chimpanzees Help Each Other On Request But Not Voluntarily”
Movement through a complex meshwork of small branches at the heights of tropical forests presents a unique challenge to animals wanting to forage for food safely. It can be particularly dangerous for large animals where a fall of up to 30m could be fatal. Scientists found that dangerous tree vibrations can be countered by the orangutan’s ability to move with an irregular rhythm. Continue reading… “Orangutans Unique In Movement Through Tree Tops”
Spotted hyenas may not be smarter than chimpanzees, but a new study shows that they outperform the primates on cooperative problem-solving tests. Continue reading… “Hyenas Cooperate, Problem-solve Better Than Primates”
Well-preserved craniodental fossil remains from two primate species have been discovered during excavations at an Algerian site. They reveal that the small primate Algeripithecus, which is 50 million years old and until now was considered as the most ancient African anthropoid, in fact belonged to another group, that of the crown strepsirhines.
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
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