New research shows wild orangutans rely on cultural learning to master hundreds of foods. Without social guidance, simulated apes fail to develop full diets, revealing ancient roots of cultural accumulation. #Primatology #Culture #Evolution #Anthropology www.primatology.net/p/the-appren...

A long-term study of the Ngogo chimpanzees shows that lethal territorial aggression led to a 22 percent range expansion, doubled birth rates, and dramatically improved infant survival. Territorial gains shaped their evolutionary success. #Chimpanzees #Evolution #Primatology #PNAS

Scientists discover that chimpanzees and bonobos build layered social circles much like humans. The study hints at deep evolutionary roots for friendship, selectivity, and time-limited social bonds. #primatology #evolution #socialbehavior #anthropology www.primatology.net/p/circles-in...

Chimpanzees in Uganda show a capacity to weigh evidence and revise decisions, hinting at ancient roots of rational thought shared with humans. Science edges closer to Darwin’s idea of cognitive continuity. #primatology #cognition #evolution www.primatology.net/p/minds-in-t...

Young chimpanzees invent tools, modify adult techniques, and explore in ways that spark cultural change. New research suggests childhood curiosity may have fueled innovation long before Homo sapiens shaped history. #Anthropology #Primates #Evolution #Science www.primatology.net/p/the-little...

Female mountain gorillas in Bwindi live for years after their last birth, reshaping group life and stability. A study finds they may hold the evolutionary key to post-reproductive survival. #Primatology #BehavioralEcology #Gorillas #Evolution www.primatology.net/p/the-elder-...

New research shows that ancient “toothpick grooves” also occur in wild primates, suggesting they formed naturally—not from tool use. Even our oldest dental marks may be more biology than culture. #Anthropology #Dentistry #Evolution #Primates www.primatology.net/p/the-toothp...

We're heartbroken to share that Jane Goodall has died. She wasn't just a scientist; she was an iconoclast who showed the world that chimps have tool-making, complex emotions, and families... just like us. #JaneGoodall #Chimpanzees #Conservation #RootsAndShoots #Legend

Mushrooms aren’t just for humans. In Tanzania’s Issa Valley, baboons, chimpanzees & monkeys rely on fungi to navigate food scarcity—offering clues to early human diets. #Anthropology #HumanEvolution #Primates #Foraging www.primatology.net/p/how-primat...

New research suggests primates evolved in cold, seasonal habitats—not tropical forests. This climate-forged adaptability shaped the lineage leading to humans. #Anthropology #Archaeology #HumanEvolution #Primates #PNAS www.primatology.net/p/from-ice-t...

Wild chimps consume the equivalent of ~2 drinks daily from fermenting fruit. This new study links our alcohol tolerance to a deep primate past. #Chimpanzees #Evolution #Anthropology #AlcoholOrigins

Young Sumatran orangutans learn to build treetop nests by watching their mothers, proving that “know-how” and “know-what” pass culturally. Culture lives in the canopy. #Primatology #Orangutans #HumanEvolution

Humans and chimps don’t share 99% of their DNA after all. New genome research shows the difference may be closer to 15%, with regulatory switches—not proteins—shaping what makes us distinct. #Anthropology #HumanEvolution #Genomics

Lemurs didn’t diversify in one big leap. A new study finds multiple bursts of speciation—fueled by hybridization—shaped Madagascar’s primate diversity into the Pleistocene. What does this mean for evolution and conservation? #Anthropology #PrimateEvolution #Lemurs

A bonobo named Kanzi can mentally track multiple hidden caregivers—matching voices to faces and locations. A glimpse into the deep roots of social intelligence. #Bonobos #HumanEvolution #Anthropology #Primates #Primatology #PrimateBehavior

Chimpanzees learn to blend sounds and gestures from their mothers, not fathers. New research in Uganda suggests maternal “communication templates” shaped ape societies for millions of years. #Primates #HumanEvolution #Anthropology #Primatology #Chimpanzee #Linguistics #Communication

Female mountain gorillas choose new groups based on old friendships, often reuniting with familiar females after years apart—showing deep-rooted social bonds in our great ape cousins. #Primatology #Gorillas #AnimalBehavior

Primate teeth record daily histories of rainfall, drought, and dehydration. A new study shows how oxygen isotopes in enamel can reconstruct climate week by week, unlocking secrets of ancient migration. #Anthropology #Paleoecology #Primatology #TeethAsTimeCapsules

Why do humans feast and drink together? New research suggests it started 10 million years ago—when apes scrumped fermented fruits off the forest floor. 🍌🍷 #Anthropology #Primates #HumanEvolution #Feasting #Alcohol #Scrumping

New study on Issa Valley chimpanzees shows bipedalism may have evolved in trees, not just on the ground. Foraging needs in open woodlands kept apes climbing. Rethinking human origins? 🐒🌳 #HumanEvolution #Primatology #Anthropology #Archaeology #Bipedalism

Elderly wild chimpanzees show steep, uneven declines in tool use. A 17-year study finds aging affects not just strength but cultural memory. Could this mirror aging in early hominins? #Primates #Anthropology #HumanEvolution #ToolUse #Chimpanzees

Chimpanzees in Zambia have started a new trend: sticking blades of grass in their ears and butts. It’s not grooming. It’s fashion. And it's spreading. #Primates #AnimalCulture #Chimpanzee #SocialLearning #Primatology #PrimateCulture #AnimalBehavior

New primate research shows female dominance is not an exception but a recurring pattern in species with monogamy, arboreality, and less sexual dimorphism. Patriarchy may not be as "natural" as once thought. #Primates #Anthropology #GenderRoles @pnas.org

Chimp moms with strong female friendships are more likely to raise surviving babies—even without kin. New research from Gombe reshapes how we think about social bonds and infant survival. #Primates #Anthropology #Evolution #Gombe #Chimpanzees

Why do humans "baby talk"? A new study shows we're the only great ape that does so regularly—and it may have shaped the evolution of language. #PrimateCommunication #HumanEvolution #BabyTalk #Anthropology #Linguistics #CognitiveScience @carolinefryns.bsky.social @franziswegdell.bsky.social

Chimpanzees and preschoolers both choose social scenes over snacks—some even pay for the drama. This shared ‘nosey’ behavior hints at deep evolutionary roots in our lineage. #Primatology #ChildDevelopment #EvoAnthropology

Chimpanzees in West Africa strike stones against trees in rhythmic displays. Is it dominance? Culture? Long-distance calls? A new study hints at the roots of communication. #Chimpanzees #AnimalCulture #Primatology #Evolution #Sound

How did Mozambique’s baboons and vervets respond to Cyclone Idai? A new study shows primate resilience to extreme climate events—hinting at the evolutionary past of adaptability. #PrimateBehavior #ClimateChange #Gorongosa #Anthropology #Evolution

On a remote Panamanian island, capuchin monkeys are abducting howler infants—and no one knows why. Ritual? Innovation? Boredom? A haunting look into primate minds. #Primatology #MonkeyBehavior #Anthropology #Cognition #Capuchins #CurrentBiology @currentbiology.bsky.social

Thanks to Science News for including my thoughts on the ethics of ape-language experiments-- and a memory I have of time with wonderful Kanzi the bonobo-- in this piece. #Kanzi #apes #language #anthropology #ethics

Orangutans organize alarm calls using recursive rhythms—layered like Russian dolls—revealing cognitive roots of language once thought unique to humans. #Anthropology #Primates #LanguageEvolution #Orangutans #Recursion

Chimpanzees in Uganda treat wounds with leaves, bark & care—both for themselves & for others. New research suggests medicine’s roots run deeper into our evolutionary past than we imagined. #Chimpanzees #PrimateCare #AnimalMedicine #Anthropology #ProsocialBehavior @elodiefreymann.bsky.social

Wild chimpanzees don’t show disorganized attachment—but captive ones do. New research suggests our evolutionary past shaped caregiving in ways modern humans may be neglecting. #PrimateBehavior #Anthropology #HumanEvolution #AttachmentTheory

Chimpanzees combine calls to craft new meanings, modify messages, and even shift meaning with call order—echoes of human syntax in the rainforest. #Primates #LanguageEvolution #Anthropology #PanTroglodytes #Combinatorics

Chimpanzees don’t just drum—they groove with subspecies-specific rhythms that echo the earliest roots of music. New research uncovers how beat, identity, and social coordination emerged in our closest relatives. #Primates #Chimpanzees #HumanEvolution #MusicOrigins #AnimalCulture

Friendlier gorillas aren’t always healthier or more successful—it depends on their group. New 20-year study challenges our assumptions about friendship, fitness & evolution. #Anthropology #Gorillas #HumanEvolution #Primatology #SocialBehavior @pnas.org

Chimpanzees and bonobos both console distressed peers—young apes lead the way. Empathy, it turns out, runs deep across species lines and emerges early in life. #PrimateBehavior #Anthropology #HumanEvolution #Bonobos #Chimpanzees

Female bonobos forge alliances that grant them power over larger males, rewriting our ideas about dominance. A 30-year study shows coalition-building, not brute strength, holds the key. #Bonobos #Anthropology #HumanEvolution #Primatology

Wild chimpanzees in West Africa share fermented fruit—some containing alcohol. Could this behavior reveal the evolutionary origins of human feasting and social bonding? #Chimpanzees #Feasting #Anthropology #Ethanol #Evolution

Bonobos refuse to cooperate when rewards are unfair, showing signs of inequity aversion. Their reactions hint at ancient roots of fairness in primate social life. #Anthropology #Primatology #Bonobos #Fairness #HumanEvolution

Macaque mothers show restlessness—not grief—after infant death. What their response reveals about the evolution of emotion and mourning. #Anthropology #Primatology #Thanatology #Evolution

New, ultra-complete ape genomes reveal hidden genes & surprising differences from humans — challenging old ideas of evolution & gene regulation. #HumanEvolution #Anthropology #Genomics #Apes #DNA #EvolutionaryBiology

New World monkeys can hit notes human yodelers can't. A new study shows their “ultra-yodels” span octaves beyond our range—thanks to a vocal feature we lost long ago. #Primates #Bioacoustics #HumanEvolution #YodelScience

Bonobos don’t just make calls—they combine them in ways that mirror human language. A new study suggests our primate relatives may share deep evolutionary roots of compositional speech. #LanguageEvolution #Bonobos #PrimateCommunication

Recent research reveals gorillas possess self-awareness akin to chimpanzees, challenging previous assumptions about their cognitive abilities. #Primates #SelfAwareness #Cognition #Anthropology

Chimpanzees aren’t just tool users—they’re engineers. A new study finds that wild chimps at Gombe pick plant materials with the right flexibility for termite fishing. Could this hold clues to early human technology? 🛠️🐒 #Anthropology #Primates #Evolution

Male Kinda baboons break the baboon mold—forming strong, long-term social bonds with females instead of relying on aggression. A new study suggests this unique behavior may provide clues to primate social evolution. #Primates #Anthropology #AnimalBehavior #KindaBaboons

Young female chimps build nests earlier than males, suggesting they develop independence sooner. A new study explores the significance of this skill. #Chimpanzees #Primates #AnimalBehavior #Evolution #Primatology

Bonobos & chimps both use sex to ease social tension, hinting at deep evolutionary roots in human behavior. Could our ancestors have done the same? 🤔🐒 #Evolution #PrimateBehavior #Bonobos #Chimpanzees #Evolution #Anthropology #Priimatology

Scratching predicts pessimistic thinking in Japanese macaques, but pessimism doesn't trigger scratching. This challenges assumptions about emotion and cognition in primates. #PrimateResearch #Emotions #PrimateBehavior #Cognition #EvolutionaryPsychology #Primatology