🐒 Second PhD chapter on sooty mangabeys out! The rule-based vocal sequences we first described? They might actually mean something! Females use specific combinations when handling others' infants, suggesting compositionality to signal benign intent 💞. link.springer.com/article/10.1...

The. Rise. Of. Cognitive. Surrender. Study finds that people who use GenAI chatbots rely on them 80% of the time, and develop almost no capacity to recognize when a chatbot is feeding them faulty information. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

🎉 New paper out in Biological Reviews! 🎉 With 19 brilliant co‑authors from the IUCN SGA's Working Group on Chimpanzee Cultures, led by Crickette Sanz and me, we provide a much needed toolkit on how animal cultures can be built into conservation. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Do you love animal behavior & want to share that joy with younger folks? Write a short article on animal behavior for Frontiers for Young Minds (ages 8–15), co-authored with an undergrad! Part of an international ABS collection. Expression of interest due April 30. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Curious how to apply turn-taking across taxa? Look no further! In our preprint, we present a toolkit on how to annotate data, to then assess if a species has similar turn-taking to humans or not! @filipaabreu.bsky.social @kaylakolff.bsky.social @monkeyologist.bsky.social

Our new preprint is out! Animal collocation analysis 2.0: improving statistical inference and applications for cohort comparisons. 🥳 Check it out here, or read our summary below: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

#bonobos and #dolphins, best of both worlds!

Statistical Rethinking 2026 is done: 20 new lectures emphasizing logical and critical statistical workflow, from basics of probability theory to causal inference to reliable computation to sensitivity. It's all free, made just for you. Lecture list and links: github.com/rmcelreath/s...

I feel like this is a kind of wild example, because we've been engaging in these discussions for while. But I've been meaning to give this a re-share anyway! Science has never been objective, and recognizing our situated perspectives leads to better science! www.prosocial.world/posts/harawa...

There’s never a dull moment at the Lola ya Bonobo nursery, and now you can join us in watching bonobos play and socialize LIVE! Check out our Live Cams now at explore.org/bonobos! 🎥 #LiveCams #BonobosConservation

A new Department of Cognitive Science is being created at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. Here is the call for a cluster hire (for around 10 faculty) in all areas of cognitive science, at both junior and senior levels: www.unibocconi.it/en/faculty-a... Deadline: May 4th, 2026

In one week I'll be talking about tips for reproducible R code and why science would love you to try these tips on your own code too 🧪😍🌏 It's an online talk, so feel free to watch comfortably from your couch. Hope to see you there! @sortee.bsky.social #rstats events.humanitix.com/sortee-webin...

Yet, that doesn't mean these sister species distribute aggression equally... 👀 Read to find out more as we discuss the significance of these results in light of evolutionary explanations of aggression in the Pan species and our own! ⬇️ www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Photo credit: Jake S. Brooker

Fully funded PhD position on primate parochialism! Study how cooperation within groups and conflict between groups evolve in red-fronted lemurs at our long-term field site in Kirindy Forest, Madagascar. @kirindy.bsky.social & @primatenzentrum.bsky.social. Apply here: www.dpz.eu

🐒 My first PhD chapter is out! We describe the vocal sequence repertoire of wild sooty mangabeys and show that they use combinatorial rules. Follow-up paper coming soon 👀 @taichimpproject.bsky.social @cogcompneuch.bsky.social @tozbu.bsky.social 🔗 royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article...

Two PhD positions in dolphin genomics and behavioral ecology are available at the University of Zurich, starting May/June 2026. Applicants must have relevant degrees and experience. More info: www.michaelkruetzenlab.org. #phd

Imagination in bonobos! I am thrilled to share a new paper w/ Amalia Bastos, out now in @science.org We provide the first experimental evidence that a nonhuman animal can follow along a pretend scenario & track imaginary objects. Work w/ Kanzi, the bonobo, at Ape Initiative youtu.be/NUSHcQQz2Ko

🚨New animal linguistics paper🚨 Together with @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social and @maelmleroux.bsky.social, we tried to finally answer this question: Do titi monkeys have complex syntactic skills? onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

New paper out👂📢🐒! We highlight the remarkable expertise of local field assistants at BCFS (Uganda) in interpreting chimpanzee pant-hoot calls—identifying who is calling, their age, sex, and context—revealing scientific knowledge built through years of experience. doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

My first PhD paper is published! 🎉 We compared how wild bonobo and chimpanzee infants (0-5.5y) become independent from their mothers. Here is the open-access link: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.... 🧵(1/5)

Very happy to have presented my poster today on vocal regulation of cooperation in meerkats at #ASABWinter2025 come chat to me tomorrow if you’re interested! 🤓

Commissions for 2026 are now open! Researchers, labs, institutions: I’m taking new projects. If you need scientific illustrations for figures, posters or presentations, contact me at [email protected] Let’s bring your research to life with detailed, engaging art! #SciArt

Not all sexual swellings signal fertility. Some signal strategy. In our new Current Biology paper, we show how gelada females “fake it” during male takeovers—and why it works. authors.elsevier.com/a/1m7%7E93QW...

Fixed-term Research Assistant post in primate behaviour, likely desk based but good experience before applying for PhD funding. Join us at NTU! @ntupsychology.bsky.social vacancies.ntu.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...

Now I'm also looking for a research software engineer to implement a pile of research results to R packages loo, posterior, bayesplot, projpred, priorsense, brms or/and Python packages ArviZ, Bambi and Kulprit. Apply by email with no specific deadline (see contact info at users.aalto.fi/~ave/)

Conversational turn-taking feels effortless, but it's a complex dance. We find social context—who you're talking to and what you're talking about—fundamentally changes conversational dynamics in both autistic & TD children. 1/ onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... w @chrismmcox.bsky.social

WIJ ZIJN MET MEER❗ #RodeLijn

The Jane Goodall Institute of Canada has learned this morning, Wednesday, October 1st, 2025, that Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, UN Messenger of Peace and Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, has passed away due to natural causes. She was in California as part of her speaking tour in the United States.

“Jane Goodall was an amazing scientist who inspired people to see the natural world in a new way. She helped us to look at the animal kingdom with fresh eyes and with greater respect.

We are hiring - PDRA position exploring how information access shapes social dynamics in killer whales. Collaboration with @samellisq.bsky.social @drwhale.bsky.social Prof Dan Franks (York) start 1st Nov (or ASAP) end 31st Oct 2028. Apps close on 19th Oct. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOT336/p...

"For centuries, scientists and sailors have know that sperm whales hunted the 'giant squid', Architeuthis dux. Whale bodies are scarred with huge sucked marks and gashes from Archituthus. But the battles take place in deep water, far beyond where humans can easily travel…" - Awesome stuff.

Watch Out!

So happy that this paper lead by Joseph Mine is finally out! Was cool to be part of this project on the social learning of multi-modal communication in chimpanzees, which is slightly outside of my usual scope (and it’s my first co-authored paper too, yay!) :) journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

Bielefeld University seeks a postdoc for a 6-year scientific assistant position in Animal Behaviour, starting March 2026. Apply by Sept 10, 2025. More info: www.uni-bielefeld.de/fakultaeten/biologie/forschung/arbeitsgruppen/behaviour #job

Cambridge Elements are free to download until 7/25-check out my little book How To Study Animal Minds. I had fun writing this one, and I'll never forget how nervous I was in front of a bunch of scientist friends, including Sara Shettleworth, hearing their thoughts on the draft! tinyurl.com/3yy6a52c

Our latest paper is out in Proceedings of the Royal Society B 📄! We investigated the behavioral context of social calls in humpback whale calves. royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

Although people sometimes talk over each other, we are capable of effective turn-taking in conversation. A unique human trait? Not really, @kaylakolff.bsky.social & Simone Pika write—other animals do so, too, like chimpanzees while grooming: buff.ly/UyG2Fzm

Could you lead a scientific meeting dedicated to your area of research? Fast-forward scientific progress in your field by assembling global scientists for two days of discussion and collaboration. Proposals are considered twice a year. Submit by 24 September 2025: royalsociety.org/science-even...

I rarely spam you with my sales, but allow me a quick reminder that all my prints are 20% OFF in my art prints store: www.inprnt.com/gallery/javi... Thanks for your support! 😇

🚨Second PhD chapter is out today! We show that elephants gesture intentionally to ask humans for food using many different gesture types! Check it out 👉 tinyurl.com/elephant-int... 🧵TLDR 1/16

Are you a scientist with an interest in photography? Our Photography Competition is now open for entries until 15 August 2025! Categories include Astronomy, Behaviour, Earth Science & Climatology, Ecology & Environmental Science, and Microimaging: royalsociety.org/journals/pub... #RSPphotocomp

Join us!!! 2 (!) PhD positions on wild chimpanzees and bonobos in the Ape Behaviour & Ecology Group and Wildminds Lab!!! 🤩🤩🤩

Do you have field work experience? Do you want more? Our team wants YOU to manage our field site studying Kinda baboons in Kasanka National Park, Zambia! Start date is this August 2025 so apply ASAP! Job ad here: tinyurl.com/KindaBaboon

📢 2 PhD positions (E13 TV-L, 75%) in our DFG-funded project on great ape communication & the evolution of common ground! 🧠 Backgrounds in biology, psychology or linguistics welcome. 🗓️ Deadline: Aug 13 🔗 bit.ly/4l8p7hy & bit.ly/46jcfAq Please share! @elmanubohn.bsky.social @meanwhileina.bsky.social

My new paper, "Bonobos tend to behave optimistically after hearing laughter” is out! We found that bonobos were more likely to expect rewards after hearing same-species laughter, suggesting that the sound puts them in a good mood. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Check out the new paper from my friend @franziswegdell.bsky.social on the beautiful #kokolopori #bonobo infants (and other primates too) 🐵

New work by @nccrlanguage.bsky.social members @franziswegdell.bsky.social @carolinefryns.bsky.social J. Schick @sabinestoll.bsky.social @zuberbuehler.bsky.social S. Townsend: The evolution of infant-directed communication: Comparing input across all great apes, revealing an important shift in us 🧪

One thing that makes humans remarkable is baby talk. And that might be one reason why we have language. Here's my story [Gift link] nyti.ms/4k5duXd

We did some science. We found some things. Killer whales get by with a little kelp from their friends. Evidence of tool manufacture and use in resident killer whales - check it out! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...