http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/monkeys/ Monkeys in the news. From squirrel monkeys to baboons, read all the latest research about monkeys. Full text, great photos, free. en-us Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:05:01 EST Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/monkeys/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111123606.htm The most extensive DNA study to-date of Africa's rarest monkey reveals that the species had an intriguing sexual past. Of the last two remaining populations of the recently discovered kipunji, one population shows evidence of past mating with baboons while the other does not, says a new study in Biology Letters. The results may help to set conservation priorities for this critically endangered species, researchers say. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111123606.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102172249.htm New research provides a comprehensive comparative functional anatomy study in human and monkey brains which reveals highly similar brain networks preserved across evolution. Scientists examined patterns of connectivity to show that the precuneus, long thought to be a single structure, is actually divided into four distinct functional regions. Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102172249.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101553.htm Research in the UK into the finger length of primate species has revealed that cooperative behavior is linked to exposure to hormone levels in the womb. Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101553.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028090530.htm One of the first-ever analyses of the effects of global warming on endangered primates has examined how El Niño warming has affected the abundance of four highly threatened New World monkeys. All four monkey species showed drops in abundance relating to large-scale climate fluctuations. The study suggests that the consequences of intensified climate fluctuations could be devastating for several primate species. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028090530.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019162919.htm Infants as young as five months old are able to correctly identify humans as the source of speech and monkeys as the source of monkey calls, psychology researchers have found. Their finding provides the first evidence that human infants are able to correctly match different kinds of vocalizations to different species. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019162919.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013123353.htm Researchers have come up with a new twist on the mysterious visual phenomenon experienced by humans known as the "uncanny valley." The scientists have found that monkeys sense it too. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013123353.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091008123224.htm The intense exchanges that human mothers share with their newborn infants may have some pretty deep roots, suggests a study of rhesus macaques. Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091008123224.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090930175731.htm A study of female monkeys' grooming habits provides new clues about the way we humans socialize. New research reveals there is a link between the size of the brain, in particular the neocortex which is responsible for higher-level thinking, and the size and number of grooming clusters that monkeys belong to. Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090930175731.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915101355.htm 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. Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915101355.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916133521.htm Scientists cast a rosy light on the potential for gene therapy to treat adult vision disorders involving cone cells -- the most important cells for vision in people. Scientists used gene therapy to cure two squirrel monkeys of color blindness -- the most common genetic disorder in people. Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916133521.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915113550.htm Researchers have sequenced DNA "barcodes" for as many as 25 hunted wildlife species, providing information that can be used to better monitor the elusive trade of wildlife products, or bushmeat. Wed, 16 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915113550.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914172644.htm A comparative psychologist who has conducted extensive studies in animal cognition says there is growing evidence that animals share functional parallels with human conscious metacognition -- that is, they may share humans' ability to reflect upon, monitor or regulate their states of mind. Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914172644.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902122448.htm A monkey that has acquired the sole power to hand out apples is generously rewarded with grooming sessions by the other monkeys in its group. But as soon as another monkey can hand out apples as well, the market value of the first monkey is halved. The monkeys therefore unerringly obey the law of supply and demand. Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902122448.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090904165105.htm Researchers have published the DNA barcodes of commonly traded bushmeat from Central Africa and South America. DNA barcodes -- short genetic sequences that can be readily obtained and pinpoint the species of origin of any product -- offer wildlife enforcement a new tool in the international trade of wildlife. Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090904165105.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090904165447.htm Sticking with what you know often comes at the price of learning about more favorable alternatives. Managing this trade-off is easy for many, but not for those with conditions such as Alzheimer's disease or obsessive-compulsive disorder who are trapped in simple routines. Using brain scans in monkeys, researchers are now able to predict when monkeys will switch from exploiting a known resource to exploring their options. Sun, 06 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090904165447.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901202832.htm New research shows that a monkey called the cotton-top tamarin responds to music. The catch? These South American monkeys are essentially immune to human music, but they respond appropriately to "monkey music." Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901202832.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901172832.htm Humans and chimpanzees are genetically very similar, yet it is not difficult to identify the many ways in which we are clearly distinct from chimps. In a new study, scientists have made a crucial discovery of genes that have evolved in humans after branching off from other primates, opening new possibilities for understanding what makes us uniquely human. Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901172832.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090730103735.htm In biomedical research with living cells in the culture dish, contamination with bacteria, viruses or other fast-growing cells is always a risk. Scientists have now developed a test system for fast and cost-effective detection of such contaminations. The new method will contribute to making biomedical research results safer and reproducible. Sat, 29 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090730103735.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090826152555.htm Researchers believe they have developed one of the first forms of genetic therapy -- a therapy aimed at preventing serious diseases in unborn children. Specifically, the therapy would combat inherited diseases passed on from mothers to their children through mutated DNA in cell mitochondria. Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090826152555.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090818182053.htm A new study has concluded that one key part of the immune system, the ability of vitamin D to regulate anti-bactericidal proteins, is so important that is has been conserved through almost 60 million years of evolution and is shared only by primates, including humans -- but no other known animal species. Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090818182053.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813142133.htm Imitation, the old saying goes, is the sincerest form of flattery. It also appears to be an ancient interpersonal mechanism that promotes social bonding and, presumably, sets the stage for relative strangers to coalesce into groups of friends, according to a new study. Sat, 15 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813142133.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090807120942.htm Researchers believe conventional vaccine strategies should not be the only avenue explored in the development of an effective AIDS vaccine. Based on studying simian immunodeficiency viruses in African nonhuman primates, they propose an additional new approach to the AIDS vaccine research agenda. Unraveling how African nonhuman primates adapt to HIV-like viruses may lead to vaccine. Sun, 09 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090807120942.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090730111152.htm Data from an ongoing study in monkeys suggest that people who consume deer and elk with chronic wasting disease may be protected from infection by an inability of the CWD infectious agent to spread to people. Mon, 03 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090730111152.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090729121557.htm Scientists have created for the first time a unique snapshot of the learning process that shows how single cells change their responses in real time as a result of information about what is the right action and what is the wrong one. Mon, 03 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090729121557.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714124947.htm Biologists are offering a new theory for the long-standing mystery of why male lemurs are no larger than females. The theory posits that male lemurs guard their mates just like other primates. But whereas evolution favors larger males in gorillas and other species that guard females by fighting, lemurs have evolved to passively guard their mates. Sat, 01 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714124947.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720202549.htm A new study shows that the brain can develop a stable, neural map of a how to control a prosthetic device, providing hope that physically disabled people can one day master control of artificial limbs with greater ease. Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720202549.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090722110850.htm Researchers have for the first time produced a malarial protein (Pfs48/45) in the proper conformation and quantity to generate a significant immune response in mice and non-human primates for use in a potential transmission-blocking vaccine. Antibodies induced by Pfs48/45 protein vaccine effectively blocked the sexual development of the malaria-causing parasite, Plasmodium, as it grows within the mosquito. Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090722110850.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714210137.htm Biologically speaking, many animals besides dogs bark, according to evolutionary biologists, but domestic dogs vocalize in this way much more than birds, deer, monkeys and other wild animals that use barks. The reason is related to dogs' 10,000-year history of hanging around human food refuse dumps, she suggests. Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714210137.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090713212231.htm Researchers also noted that those people exposed to the 1918 virus, all of whom are now in advanced old age, have antibodies that neutralize the H1N1 virus. Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090713212231.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624152822.htm Evolutionarily speaking, baboons may be our more distant cousins among primates. But when it comes to our experiences with malaria over the course of time, it seems the stories of our two species have followed very similar plots. Sat, 11 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624152822.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090709110836.htm The bottom-line message from a decades-long study of monkeys on a restricted diet is simple: Consuming fewer calories leads to a longer, healthier life. Researchers report that a nutritious but reduced-calorie diet blunts aging and significantly delays the onset of such age-related disorders as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and brain atrophy. Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090709110836.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090707121417.htm Biologists have discovered a new monkey in a remote region of the Amazon in Brazil. The monkey is threatened by proposed dams and other development in the region. Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090707121417.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629124957.htm In a first-of-its-kind advance toward the next generation of genetically modified foods — intended to improve consumers' health — researchers in Japan are reporting that a new transgenic rice designed to fight a common pollen allergy appears safe in animal studies.  Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629124957.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630202125.htm A new fossil primate from Myanmar (previously known as Burma) suggests that the common ancestor of humans, monkeys and apes evolved from primates in Asia, not Africa as many researchers believe. Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630202125.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622171359.htm Researchers have developed the first detailed images of a primitive primate brain, unexpectedly revealing that cousins of our earliest ancestors relied on smell more than sight. Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622171359.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090618084304.htm New evidence underscores the theory of human origin that suggests humans most likely share a common ancestor with orangutans. The researchers reject as "problematic" the popular suggestion, based on DNA analysis, that humans are most closely related to chimpanzees, which they maintain is not supported by fossil evidence. Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090618084304.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616205508.htm General intelligence varies among primates within a single species, according to new research. The study is the first to look at general intelligence within one primate species. Through a series of cognitive tests, the researchers were able to divide the monkeys into high, middle and low performing groups. The findings may help us to understand the evolution of human general intelligence. Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616205508.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090610091429.htm Baboons whose mothers have strong relationships with other females are much more likely to survive to adulthood than baboons reared by less social mothers, according to a new study. Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090610091429.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090527215547.htm A transgenic line of monkeys carrying a gene encoding green fluorescent protein fully integrated into their DNA has been created for the first time. The research, published in the journal Nature, marks the first such feat in non-human primates and paves the way for developing new models of human diseases. Thu, 28 May 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090527215547.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090527073030.htm A third species of an extinct group of large lemurs has just been uncovered in the northwest of Madagascar. Dubbed Palaeopropithecus kelyus, this new specimen is smaller than the two species of these 'large sloth lemurs' already known and its diet made up of harder-textured foodstuffs. This discovery supports the idea of a richer biodiversity in recent prehistory (late Pleistocene and beginning of the Holocene). Wed, 27 May 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090527073030.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090518213952.htm Minor differences in the timing of cell proliferation can explain the large differences found in the eyes of two species -- owl monkeys and capuchin monkeys -- that evolved from a common ancestor. Sun, 24 May 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090518213952.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090514153028.htm Monkeys playing a game similar to "Let's Make A Deal" have revealed that their brains register missed opportunities and learn from their mistakes. Thu, 21 May 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090514153028.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090518172451.htm Whether a monkey is looking to the left or merely watching another monkey looking that way, the same neurons in his brain are firing, according to researchers. The authors speculate that the neurons' activity may lie beneath critical social behavior, such as joint attention. Wed, 20 May 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090518172451.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519214940.htm Spider monkeys and humans have similar ways of controlling their protein intake, suggesting that human susceptibility to obesity might have far earlier evolutionary origins than previously thought. Wed, 20 May 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519214940.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519104643.htm Scientists have found a 47-million-year-old human ancestor. Discovered in Germany, the fossil is 20 times older than most fossils that explain human evolution. Known as "Ida," the fossil is a transitional species -- it shows characteristics from the very primitive non-human evolutionary line (prosimians, such as lemurs), but is more related to the human evolutionary line (anthropoids, such as monkeys, apes and humans). At 95% complete, the fossil provides the most complete understanding of the paleobiology of any Eocene primate so far discovered. Tue, 19 May 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519104643.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090517143224.htm Scientists may have broken the stubborn impasse that has frustrated the invention of an effective HIV vaccine, by using an approach that bypasses the usual path followed by vaccine developers. By using gene transfer technology that produces molecules that block infection, the scientists protected monkeys from infection by a virus closely related to HIV -- the simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV -- that causes AIDS in rhesus monkeys. Mon, 18 May 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090517143224.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090518222121.htm A new study reports the first evidence of simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) resistance to the protective vaginal microbicide, PSC-RANTES, in rhesus macaques. Mon, 18 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090518222121.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090507181225.htm Baboons are surprisingly skilled social animals. Researchers describe a female baboon that herded goats in an African village. The baboon knew all of the relationships between the goats so well that at night she would carry a bleating kid from one barn directly to its mother in another barn. Sat, 09 May 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090507181225.htm