http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/apes/ Apes and chimps in the news. Read all the latest research about great apes, orangutans, gorillas and chimpanzees. Photos too. en-us Fri, 16 May 2008 20:05:01 EDT Fri, 16 May 2008 20:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/apes/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515145406.htm Smaller primates expend no more energy climbing than they do walking. This surprising discovery may explain the evolutionary edge that encouraged the tiny ancestors of modern humans, apes and monkeys to climb into the trees about 65 million years ago and stay there. Sat, 17 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515145406.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515092624.htm Studies with non-human primates have made major contributions to our understanding of the brain and will continue to be an important, if small, part of neuroscience research, according to a recent review. Sat, 17 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515092624.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508181914.htm A biologist has brought his admiration of Neil Young to a whole new class. Or species, to be exact. A professor of biology has named a newly discovered trapdoor spider, Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi, after the legendary rock star. Thu, 08 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508181914.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080419020546.htm The government of Cameroon --- with guidance from the Wildlife Conservation Society --- has created the world's first sanctuary exclusively for the Cross River gorilla, the world's rarest kind of great ape. Classified as Critically Endangered by IUCN's Red List, the Cross River gorilla is the rarest of the four subspecies of gorilla. The entire population numbers under 300 individuals across its entire range, which consists of 11 scattered sites in Cameroon and Nigeria. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080419020546.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326095411.htm Chimpanzees make judgments about the actions and dispositions of strangers by observing others' behavior and interactions in different situations. Specifically, chimpanzees show an ability to recognize behavioral traits and make assumptions about the presence or absence of these traits in strangers in similar situations thereafter. Chimpanzees have sophisticated social skills and there is evidence that primates eavesdrop. Mon, 31 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326095411.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080323210220.htm Researchers have identified a language feature unique to the human brain that is shedding light on how human language evolved. The study marks the first use of diffusion tensor imaging, a noninvasive imaging technique, to compare human brain structures to those of chimpanzees, our closest living relative. Mon, 24 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080323210220.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318084337.htm Some 15 chimpanzees facing extinction in an isolated Rwandan forest have a greater chance for survival thanks to one of Africa's most ambitious forest restoration efforts ever. A 30-mile (50km) tree corridor will be planted to connect the Gishwati Forest Reserve, the chimpanzees' home range, to Nyungwe National Park. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318084337.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080228124415.htm An area of the brain involved in the planning and production of spoken and signed language in humans plays a similar role in chimpanzee communication, researchers report in Current Biology. The results suggest that the "neurobiological foundations" of human language may have been present in the common ancestor of modern humans and chimpanzees. Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080228124415.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080225213413.htm After swabbing the cheeks of more than 200 lemurs and related primates to collect their DNA, researchers now have a much clearer picture of their evolutionary family tree. Found in nature only on the island nation of Madagascar, off Africa’s southeastern coast, lemurs and their close relatives the lorises represent the sister lineage to all other primates. Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080225213413.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080221120201.htm Do apes have imagination? How do they understand pictures? A years-long study of apes performed by a cognitive scientist shows, among other things, that it doesn't take a human brain to understand pictures as being a representation. When humans compare a picture with reality, it's often necessary to fill in information that is missing in the picture. For instance, how do we know that a person in a picture is running, as opposed to being frozen in a position? Sun, 24 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080221120201.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080217102137.htm A Harvard scientist presents a new hypothesis on what defines the cognitive rift between humans and animals. He identifies four key differences in human thought that make it unique. Animals, for example, have "laser beam" intelligence, in which a specific solution is used to solve a specific problem. But these solutions cannot be applied to new situations or to solve different kinds of problem. In contrast, humans have "floodlight" cognition, allowing us to use thought processes in new ways and to apply the solution of one problem to another situation. Fri, 22 Feb 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080217102137.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080212134818.htm Scientists have released the first known photographs of gorillas performing face-to-face copulation in the wild. This is the first time that western gorillas have been observed and photographed mating in such a manner. The western lowland gorilla is listed as Critically Endangered as a result of hunting by humans, habitat destruction, and health threats such as the Ebola virus. Wed, 13 Feb 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080212134818.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080201114201.htm Male chimpanzees hunt in groups, but among the group, certain chimpanzees are "impact hunters" that lead the group to hunt. They are more likely to initiate a hunt, and hunts rarely occur in their absence, according to a new study. The findings shed light on how and why some animals cooperate to hunt for food, and how individual variation among chimpanzees contributes to collective predation. Wed, 06 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080201114201.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080130092136.htm Scientists examines the circumstances under which chimpanzees, our closest relatives, will exchange one inherently valuable commodity (an apple slice) for another (a grape), which is what early humans must have somehow learned to do. The researchers found that chimpanzees often did not spontaneously barter food items, but needed to be trained to engage in commodity barter. Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080130092136.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080130092139.htm Using mice as models, researchers traced some of the differences between humans and chimpanzees to differences in our diet. By feeding laboratory mice different human and chimp diets over a mere two week period, researchers were able to reconstruct some of the physiological and genetic differences observed between humans and chimpanzees. Sun, 03 Feb 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080130092139.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080131214548.htm Trials are underway for a new vaccine to combat the most deadly form of malaria. For the first time ever, researchers will use a virus found in chimpanzees to boost the efficacy of the vaccine. Malaria, caused by Plasmodium parasites, is one of the world's deadliest killers, killing over a million people each year, mainly women and young children in Africa and SE Asia. Fri, 01 Feb 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080131214548.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080125100320.htm The opening of gorillas and chimpanzees reserves for tourism is often portrayed as the key to conserving these endangered great apes. There are also however serious concerns that tourism may expose wild apes to infection by virulent human diseases. Sat, 26 Jan 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080125100320.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080115085344.htm The Rwandan government, Great Ape Trust of Iowa and Earthpark have announced that the Gishwati Forest Reserve is the future site of the Rwanda National Conservation Park, setting into motion one of Africa's most ambitious forest restoration and ecological research efforts ever. Thu, 17 Jan 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080115085344.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080112180521.htm A surgical team of two neurosurgeons and a neonatologist from Seattle's Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center of Seattle joined Woodland Park Zoo's Animal Health staff yesterday to perform surgery on a two-and-a-half-month-old, female western lowland gorilla. The specialized medical team was mobilized to remove a growth overlying the spine of the 9-pound gorilla. Following the one-hour procedure and recovery from anesthesia, the baby gorilla was returned to her mother at the gorilla exhibit. Mon, 14 Jan 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080112180521.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080109094344.htm The deliberate ingestion of soil, or "geophagy," has important health benefits for chimpanzees, according to scientists. Far from being a dysfunctional behavior, geophagy has evolved as a practice for maintaining health amongst chimpanzees. In this particular study, geophagy is shown to increase the potency of ingested plants with anti-malarial properties. Fri, 11 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080109094344.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080109100831.htm Scientists have found cultural differences among chimpanzee colonies. Socially-learned cultural behavior was thought, until now, to be unique to humans. Thu, 10 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080109100831.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071213204034.htm Indonesia's new 10 year action plan for conserving orangutans will have important benefits in mitigating climate change. Deforestation, for timber, pulp and palm oil plantations, have pushed Indonesia into the status of being a major carbon emitter, while threatening globally significant wildlife populations. Wed, 02 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071213204034.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071227184054.htm When it comes to choosing a place to live, male chimpanzees in the wild don't stray far from home. Researchers found that adult male chimps out on their own tend to follow in their mother's footsteps, spending their days in the same familiar haunts where they grew up. Male chimpanzees are generally very social, but how they use space when they are alone might be critical to their survival, the researchers said. Sun, 30 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071227184054.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071213120950.htm A pioneering study of wild chimpanzees has found that these close human relatives do not routinely experience menopause, rebutting previous studies of captive individuals which had postulated that female chimpanzees reach reproductive senescence at 35 to 40 years of age. Together with recent data from wild gorillas and orangutans, the finding suggests that human females are rare or even unique among primates in experiencing a lengthy post-reproductive lifespan. Wed, 19 Dec 2007 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071213120950.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071212201347.htm The transition from apes to humans may have been partially triggered by the need to stand on two legs, in order to safely carry heavier babies. For safety, all nonhuman primates carry their young clinging to their fur from birth, and species survival depends on it. The carrying pattern changes as the infant grows. Mon, 17 Dec 2007 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071212201347.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071214094129.htm While it is well understood that the evolution of new genes leads to adaptations that help species survive, gene loss may also afford a selective advantage. Scientists identified 26 losses of long-established genes, including 16 that were not previously known. Next they compared the identified genes in the complete genomes of the human, chimpanzee, rhesus monkey, mouse, rat, dog, and opossum to estimate the amount of time the gene was functional before it was lost. This refined the timing of the gene loss and also served as a benchmark for whether the gene in question was long-established, and therefore probably functional, or merely a loss of a redundant gene copy. Through this process, they found 6 genes that were lost only in the human. Sat, 15 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071214094129.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071205122539.htm In the wake of a study that documented for the first time the use of weaponry by Cross River gorillas to ward off threats by humans, the Wildlife Conservation Society has announced new field surveys to better protect this most endangered great ape. Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071205122539.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071210212200.htm Geography and historical climate change may have both played a major role in gorilla evolutionary diversification, according to a new genetic study by Cardiff University and the University of New Orleans. The collaborative School of Biosciences study shows that the genetic composition of gorilla populations varies across different parts of their current geographic range and that this variation may be tied to Ice Age climate change and river barriers. Tue, 11 Dec 2007 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071210212200.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071203094823.htm Young chimpanzees have an "extraordinary" ability to remember numerals that is superior to that of human adults, researchers report. The researchers said they believe that the young chimps' newfound ability to top humans in the numerical memory task is "just a part of the very flexible intelligence of young chimpanzees." Sun, 09 Dec 2007 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071203094823.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071129143817.htm Some of our closest extinct relatives had more in common with gorillas than previously thought. Fossils illustrate sex differences in growth and the costs of being a male. One of the anthropologists said "When we examined fossils from 1.5 to 2 million years ago we found that in one of our close relatives the males continued to grow well into adulthood, just as they do in gorillas. This resulted in a much bigger size difference between males and females than we see today." Fri, 30 Nov 2007 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071129143817.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071112085235.htm Scientists have succeeded in mapping virus sequences from samples taken from anthropoid apes. Analysis of this genetic material demonstrated the existence of a new lineage genetic of the Zaire species. It also revealed that genetic recombination events, processes extremely rare for this type of virus, would have taken place between 1996 and 2001. Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071112085235.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071114121359.htm Ancient retroviruses -- distant relatives of the human immunodeficiency virus -- helped a gene called p53 become an important "master gene regulator" in primates, according to a new study. Thu, 15 Nov 2007 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071114121359.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071114151513.htm Researchers are closer to understanding why humans differ so greatly from chimpanzees in the way they look, behave, think and fight off disease, despite having genes that are nearly 99 percent identical. Thu, 15 Nov 2007 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071114151513.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071115072744.htm Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University's Oregon National Primate Research Center have made a significant breakthrough in efforts to develop human stem cell therapies that may be used to combat numerous devastating diseases. For the first time, scientists have successfully derived embryonic stem cells by reprogramming of genetic material from skin cells while studying rhesus macaque monkeys. The breakthrough follows several previously unsuccessful attempts by the OHSU-based team and other scientific teams worldwide. Thu, 15 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071115072744.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071112172155.htm Chimpanzees inhabiting a harsh savanna environment and using bark and stick tools to exploit an underground food resource are giving scientists new insights to the behaviors of the earliest hominids who, millions of years ago, left the African forests to range the same kinds of environments and possibly utilize the same foods. Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071112172155.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071026095223.htm Mankind's closest living relatives -- the world's apes, monkeys, lemurs and other primates -- are under unprecedented threat from destruction of tropical forests, illegal wildlife trade and commercial bushmeat hunting, with 29 percent of all species in danger of going extinct, according to a new report. Mon, 29 Oct 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071026095223.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071015193429.htm Soon after marmosets reach adulthood, the rate at which new neural cells form in the hippocampus region of the animals' brains begins to decline. The hippocampus is associated with both learning and memory. While similar observations have been made previously in the brains of rodents, this is the first time the decrease in new cell growth has been noted in a primate. Tue, 16 Oct 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071015193429.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071014173548.htm Scientists used functional brain imaging to assess resting-state brain activity in chimpanzees as a potential window into their mental world and to compare chimpanzee brain activity to that of humans. Results suggest chimpanzees may engage in thought processes similar to those of humans at rest as well as thought processes that are quite different. The findings are significant because they show the uniqueness of humans as well as our similarity to our closest living primate relative. Tue, 16 Oct 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071014173548.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071009212538.htm The population dynamics of complete copies of primate endogenous retrovirus family K in the genomes of humans, chimpanzee and rhesus monkey have revealed a surprising pattern. Human ERV-K had a similar demographic signature to that of the rhesus monkey, both differing greatly from that of the chimpanzee. Fri, 12 Oct 2007 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071009212538.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071005104104.htm When given the ultimatum game, chimpanzees, unlike humans, conform to traditional economic models. Unlike humans, chimpanzees do not show a willingness to make fair offers and reject unfair ones. In this way, they behave like selfish economists rather than as social reciprocators. Sun, 07 Oct 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071005104104.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070925090250.htm Sperm cells from the more promiscuous chimpanzee and rhesus macaque species swim much faster and with much greater force than those of humans and gorillas, species where individual females mate primarily with only one male during a reproductive cycle. Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070925090250.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070920145353.htm Researchers have completed a new study on Homo floresiensis, commonly referred to as the "hobbit," a 3-foot-tall, 18,000-year-old hominin skeleton, discovered four years ago on the Indonesian island of Flores. This study offers one of the most striking confirmations of the original interpretation of the hobbit as an island remnant of one of the oldest human migrations to Asia. Tue, 25 Sep 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070920145353.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070911202510.htm They say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach and the same could be said for female chimpanzees. Researchers studying wild chimps in West Africa have discovered that males pinch desirable fruits from local farms and orchards as a means of attracting female mates. Fri, 14 Sep 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070911202510.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070912152659.htm Life on Earth is disappearing fast and will continue to do so unless urgent action is taken, according to the 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. There are now 41,415 species on the IUCN Red List and 16,306 of them are threatened with extinction, up from 16,118 last year. The total number of extinct species has reached 785 and a further 65 are only found in captivity or in cultivation. Thu, 13 Sep 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070912152659.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070911073902.htm The earliest humans almost certainly walked upright on two legs but may have struggled to run at even half the speed of modern man, new research suggests. They proposes that if early humans lacked an Achilles tendon, as modern chimps and gorillas do, then their ability to run would have been severely compromised. Wed, 12 Sep 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070911073902.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070904114535.htm A quest to gain a more complete picture of color vision evolution has led scientists to an up-close, genetic encounter with one of the world's most rare and bizarre-looking primates. They have performed the first sweeping, genetic evolutionary study of color vision in the aye-aye (pronounced "eye-eye"), a bushy-tailed, Madagascar native primate with a unique combination of physical features including extremely large eyes and ears, and elongated fingers for reaching hard to access insects and other foods. Wed, 12 Sep 2007 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070904114535.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070909205527.htm The Marburg virus, like its fearsome cousin Ebola, belongs to the Filoviridae family. It carries the name of the German town where it was first detected in 1967, after a mysterious epidemic had hit employees of the Behring laboratory. The workers had been contaminated as they took organ samples from green monkeys imported from Uganda. Up to the end of the 20th Century, rare cases of violent haemorrhagic fever attack linked to Marburg virus were subsequently registered, essentially in East Africa. However, in 1998, a more extensive epidemic affected 149 people near Durba, a town in the North-East of the Democratic Republic of Congo. More than 80% of these people succumbed to the haemorrhagic fever the virus caused. Tue, 11 Sep 2007 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070909205527.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070906140753.htm Researchers have found that when understanding behavior, primates assume rationality and make inferences based on environmental restraints. The researchers studied over 120 primates from the three major groups of primates, and found the same responses among all three types. Mon, 10 Sep 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070906140753.htm