Your wrist looks more like a gorilla’s than you’d expect. New research finds human carpal bones evolved from knuckle-walking traits, not away from them. #HumanEvolution #Paleoanthropology #FossilRecord #Primatology www.primatology.net/p/the-human-...

New research across 146 primate species finds that how much neighboring groups’ home ranges overlap is a stronger predictor of male-female size differences than mating system. The threat of rivals, not just fighting them, shapes male bodies. #Primatology #SexualSelection #Evolution

81 apes. 150 studies. 18 years. The largest open-access dataset of great ape cognition just dropped — and what it can tell us about the origins of human intelligence is just getting started. #Primatology #ComparativePsychology #OpenScience www.primatology.net/p/what-81-ap...

New research finds orangutans and chimpanzees match each other’s laugh faces with surprising precision — and the ability likely traces back 10–16 million years to our last common ancestor. #Primatology #HumanEvolution #Emotions www.primatology.net/p/great-apes...

Chimps in Uganda’s Kibale National Park split into rival groups and descended into years of lethal conflict — no ideology, no ethnicity, just collapsing social networks. New research in Science challenges what we think drives collective violence. #Primatology #HumanEvolution #Anthropology

A 17-million-year-old jaw from Egypt just challenged where all living apes originated. One mandible from the desert, and the field’s East Africa-centered model is under serious pressure. #Paleoanthropology #HumanEvolution #Miocene www.primatology.net/p/a-jaw-from...

The “ape culture wars” have raged for 50+ years — not over whether chimps have culture (they do), but what kind and how it spreads. A new paper maps the battle and argues both sides are missing hidden common ground. #Primatology #HumanEvolution #AnimalCulture www.primatology.net/p/the-ape-cu...

Your brain has a “human” voice detector, but it turns out it’s been listening to chimpanzees this whole time. New research shows our neural hardware for voices is an ancient primate inheritance. #Neuroscience #Evolution #Anthropology www.primatology.net/p/the-chimpa...

New research on primate inner ears reveals a tripartite system, not a bipartite one. Gravity and rotation sensors evolve independently, changing how we interpret the fossil record. #Evolution #Anthropology #Primatology www.primatology.net/p/the-three-...

New research on 100 primate species finds that mild and lethal aggression are evolutionarily decoupled — species that fight often aren’t more likely to kill. Bickering and murder follow different evolutionary paths. #Primatology #HumanEvolution #Aggression @evolletters.bsky.social

A 13-million-year-old jaw from a Colombian desert just gave us the earliest evidence of leaf-eating in New World primates — and it belongs to an ancient howler monkey relative larger than any platyrrhine previously known from the Miocene. #Primatology #Paleoanthropology #FossilRecord

New research: chimpanzees are not more aggressive than bonobos. The real difference is in direction — who hits whom. The peaceful bonobo image may say more about sampling bias than evolution. #HumanEvolution #Primatology #Anthropology www.primatology.net/p/the-bonobo...

A chimp named Juma stuck grass in his ear. Within a week, his whole group was doing it. Then he put grass in his rectum. They copied that too. What this tells us about the origins of culture is genuinely unsettling. #Primatology #HumanEvolution #AnimalCulture www.primatology.net/p/grass-in-t...

Chimps given crystals held them up to their eyes, sorted them from pebbles, and refused to give them back. A new study asks what that tells us about why Homo erectus collected quartz 780,000 years ago. #HumanEvolution #Archaeology #Paleoanthropology #Primatology www.primatology.net/p/what-chimp...

New research scanned brains across 12 macaque species and found tolerant societies — not aggressive ones — predict larger amygdalae, with inverted developmental trajectories that flip the standard primate pattern. #Primatology #BrainEvolution #SocialBrain www.primatology.net/p/the-tolera...

Wild chimps at Uganda’s Ngogo site tested positive for an alcohol metabolite in their urine — direct physiological proof they regularly consume ethanol from fermented fruit. What does that mean for the evolution of human drinking? #Primatology #HumanEvolution #DrunkMonkeyHypothesis

New study on bonobo sex finds that facial mimicry doesn’t speed up movement tempo, but tempo drops sharply right after it stops. What does that tell us about the evolutionary roots of rhythm and communication? #HumanEvolution #Primatology #CognitiveScience www.primatology.net/p/what-bonob...

New paper explores how primates co-construct cultures with each other and with humans in shared landscapes, challenging century-old assumptions about what counts as “natural” behavior. #PrimateCulture #AnthropologicalScience #CulturalEvolution www.primatology.net/p/when-macaq...

New research shows Kanzi, a language-trained bonobo, can track pretend objects, suggesting the roots of human imagination go back 6-9 million years to our common ancestor. #CognitiveEvolution #PrimateResearch #HumanOrigins www.primatology.net/p/a-bonobo-t...

New study of 500 wild primate teeth shows grooves once linked to ancient toothpicks can form naturally, while a common modern dental problem appears uniquely human. #Paleoanthropology #EvolutionaryMedicine #DentalAnthropology www.primatology.net/p/toothpick-...

Chimpanzee groups show that bigger can be better for sharing. New experiments reveal that tolerant groups with restrained leaders sustain shared resources longer, offering clues to the deep evolutionary roots of cooperation. #Primatology #HumanEvolution #Cooperation #BehavioralEcology

Spider monkeys do more than search for fruit. A seven-year study shows they swap “insider knowledge” by constantly reshuffling social groups, building a shared map of where and when trees ripen. Collective intelligence in action. #Primatology #AnimalBehavior #Evolution

Baby chimps take the biggest risks, not teens. A new study shows how early danger, falling bodies, and limited supervision shaped chimp behavior and may explain why humans delay risk until adolescence. #Anthropology #Evolution #Primatology #HumanOrigins www.primatology.net/p/when-baby-...

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