Generosity helped our species thrive — but we are not alone in the animal kingdom.
Great apes abilities misunderstood in decades of research by human hubris
Sure, we think chimps are clever — but never as clever as us.
New Anthrax variant is causing havoc in Africa threatening chimp populations
The risks for humans are still being investigated.
Chimps, unlike humans, are more likely to choose genetically-dissimilar mates
Two different takes on an age-old topic.
Male chimpanzees take an active interest in their offspring’s well-being, suggests early humans did the same
Up to now, we didn’t even think they knew which were theirs.
The Red Light Forest – Prostitution in the Animal World
For pebbles, meat, or nectar, these animals found that nothing sells quite as well as sex.
Human brain plasticity doesn’t seem to be shared by chimps – is this a unique gift?
It seems like evolution has fostered us humans all along for us to become the dominant species on planet Earth. We owe so many gifts to the tender processes that began millions of years ago and shaped us the way we are today. Gripping dexterous hands, remarkable social behavior and lets not forget about those big brains. It’s not enough to have a big brain, though. What makes us humans particularly successful is our ability to adapt constantly to our environment. Humans fair well in luxurious plains, but they seem to survive in the desert as well. Then look at the times we’re living in. Technology, networking, all our cultural heritage. It takes a lot to adapt to such changing times, and no other species seems to be this good at it. While we owe a great deal to genetics, it’s brain plasticity – an inherent ability to mold our cerebral connections to fit our environment – that took us the extra mile.
Chimps ‘tell’ each other where the best fruit trees are found and how big these are
Chimps, our favorite primate cousins, communicate with each other through a complex gesture language, partially decoded by scientists. Depending on the situation and the gesture, chimps tell each other things like “Stop that,” “Climb on me,” or “Move away.” Now, an exciting new study found that chimps also communicate through vocalization. Researchers found that the primates would “speak” to their peers and relay what their favorite fruits are and where the best trees can be found.
Chimps Pass down Skills to Peers and Establish Cultures
Chimps, our closest relatives, can pass down knowledge and skills, like using a new tool for instance, and establish cultural communities, according to a recently study published in PLOS Biology. Communicating and passing down skills, inventions and knowledge is considering a pre-requisite to what we commonly refer to as human culture, and the findings suggest that this kind of behavior can