Chimpanzees help each other on request but not voluntarily
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. view more (2009-10-15)
Chimpanzees develop specialized tool kits to catch army ants
Chimpanzees in the Congo have developed specialized "tool kits" to forage for army ants, reveals new research published Sept. 3 in the American Journal of Primatology. view more (2009-09-08)
Zoo volunteers help explain mysteries of the genome
As the University of Leicester approaches the 25th anniversary of the discovery of DNA fingerprinting (September 10), Leicester geneticists interested in a particular type of DNA are receiving some help from an unusual band of assistants. view more (2009-09-08)
Scientists report original source of malaria
Researchers have identified what they believe is the original source of malignant malaria: a parasite found in chimpanzees in equatorial Africa. view more (2009-08-04)
Orangutans unique in movement through tree tops
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. view more (2009-07-28)
Chimps, like humans, focus on faces
A chimp's attention is captured by faces more effectively than by bananas. A series of experiments described in BioMed Central's open access journal Frontiers in Zoology suggests that the apes are wired to respond to faces in a similar manner to humans. view more (2009-07-23)
AIDS discovered in wild chimpanzees
Although the AIDS virus (HIV-1) entered the human population through chimpanzees, scientists have long believed that chimpanzees don't develop AIDS. view more (2009-07-23)
Mouse Model Provides Clues to Human Language Development
Scientists of the German Mouse Clinic at Helmholtz Zentrum München have made a major contribution to understanding human language development. view more (2009-06-24)
Humans related to orangutans, not chimps, says new Pitt, Buffalo Museum of Science study
New evidence underscores the theory of human origin that suggests humans most likely share a common ancestor with orangutans, according to research from the University of Pittsburgh and the Buffalo Museum of Science. view more (2009-06-18)
DNA chunks, chimps and humans
Researchers have carried out the largest study of differences between human and chimpanzee genomes, identifying regions that have been duplicated or lost during evolution of the two lineages. view more (2008-11-06)
Study finds value in 'junk' DNA
For about 15 years, scientists have known that certain "junk" DNA -- repetitive DNA segments previously thought to have no function -- could evolve into exons, which are the building blocks for protein-coding genes in higher organisms like animals and plants. view more (2008-10-17)
Despite 'peacenik' reputation, bonobos hunt and eat other primates too
Unlike the male-dominated societies of their chimpanzee relatives, bonobo society-in which females enjoy a higher social status than males-has a "make-love-not-war" kind of image. view more (2008-10-14)
In a last 'stronghold' for endangered chimpanzees, survey finds drastic decline
In a population survey of West African chimpanzees living in Côte d'Ivoire, researchers estimate that this endangered subspecies has dropped in numbers by a whopping 90 percent since the last survey was conducted 18 years ago. view more (2008-10-14)
Human brains pay a price for being big
Metabolic changes responsible for the evolution of our unique cognitive abilities indicate that the brain may have been pushed to the limit of its capabilities. Research published today in BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Biology adds weight to the theory that schizophrenia is a costly by-product of human brain evolution. view more (2008-08-05)
Infant play drives chimpanzee respiratory disease cycles
The signature boom-bust cycling of childhood respiratory diseases was long attributed to environmental cycling. view more (2008-06-18)
Virginia Tech researchers find human virus in chimpanzees
After studying chimpanzees in the wilds of Tanzania's Mahale Mountains National Park for the past year as part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, Virginia Tech researcher Dr. Taranjit Kaur and her team have produced powerful scientific evidence that chimpanzees are becoming sick from viral infectious diseases they have likely contracted... view more... (2008-06-04)
Did walking on 2 feet begin with a shuffle?
Somewhere in the murky past, between four and seven million years ago, a hungry common ancestor of today's primates, including humans, did something novel. view more (2008-05-30)
Surgeon operates to rescue chimp with rare deformity
An orthopaedic surgeon at the University of Liverpool has performed a groundbreaking operation on a chimp in Cameroon to correct a deformity more commonly seen in dogs. view more (2008-05-20)
Researchers find first conclusive evidence of Alzheimer's-like brain tangles in nonhuman primates
Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, have discovered the first conclusive evidence of Alzheimer's-like neurofibrillary brain tangles in an aged nonhuman primate. view more (2008-05-15)
Rwanda conservation effort to link isolated chimps to distant forest
A group of some 15 chimpanzees isolated in a pocket of Rwandan rain forest will have a greater range - and, thus, greater chances for survival - thanks to one of Africa's most ambitious forest restoration and ecological research efforts ever. view more (2008-03-18)
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