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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: apes

apes stories: 10 news summaries

 Chimps Can Get AIDS: Study 

SIV-infected chimps have high death rate, low T-cell counts

Jul 22, 09 3:44 PM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists have found evidence that chimpanzees can be sickened by SIV, the non-human version of HIV, adding to the understanding of how HIV/AIDS developed, the AP reports. Scientists have long believed that while other primates can contract simian immunodeficiency virus, they are not affected by it. A 9-year study of... More »

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disease • HIV • Tanzania • monkey • chimpanzees • apes • HIV/AIDS

 Apes, Humans Share a Laugh 

Commonalities
show laughter
is pre-human

Jun 4, 09 2:04 PM CDT
(Newser) - After tickling two dozen apes and several children, scientists have concluded that laughter developed long before humans did. In fact, a common ancestor of both apes and humans probably emitted the first chuckle at least 10 million years ago. The study measuring 800 vocalizations found that all subjects shared the... More »

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apes • human evolution • human • laughter • scientific study

Gorillas: Maybe Not as Gentle as We Thought

Ape vegetarian in the wild, but can turn carnivore in captivity

Mar 27, 09 11:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - King Kong aside, gorillas have somehow been able to hold onto their reputations as gentle giants, while myths about the belligerent chimpanzee and the promiscuous bonobo have long since been dispelled. But with new research into ape behavior, the last fable may fall, the Economist reports after primatologists studied apes... More »

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zoo • wildlife • chimpanzees • bonobos • gorilla • apes • orangutans

 Whistling 
 Orangutan 
 Surprises 
 Scientists  

Her talent may help explain how human speech evolved

Feb 21, 09 8:24 AM CST
(Newser) - An orangutan at Washington's National Zoo has pleased her caretakers with a unique skill—she's taken up whistling. Researchers have previously taught apes to do so, but Bonnie is different in that she started on her own, apparently by mimicking zookeepers, NPR reports. (She also imitates workers sweeping floors and... More »

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evolution • Washington DC • apes • orangutans • speech • National Zoo • whistling

Orangutans
In Trouble as Forests Shrink

Loggers, plantations bring great ape
close to extinction

Jul 5, 08 5:46 PM CDT
(Newser) - Illegal loggers and palm oil plantations may make the orangutan the first great ape to become extinct, scientists warn. In Indonesia, a mere 6,600 of the apes remain, while on Malaysia’s Borneo Island, the population has fallen 10% to 49,600, the Telegraph reports. More »

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endangered species • environment • Indonesia • biofuel • palm oil • Malaysia • apes • orangutans

 Spain Passes Ape Rights Bill 

Seriously, parliament moves to protect 'non-human hominids'

Jun 26, 08 1:14 PM CDT
(Newser) - Spanish Parliament passed a resolution promising fundamental “human” rights to the great apes, the Guardian reports. The bill enjoys wide support and would ban scientific experimentation involving higher-level primates. Zoo exhibition will still be legal, but supporters say living conditions will improve significantly. The legislative body was inspired by... More »

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Spain • animal rights • chimpanzees • gorilla • apes • orangutans • parliament

 Gibraltar to Kill Pesky Apes 

Famous wild monkeys terrorize tourists 

Apr 18, 08 5:27 AM CDT
(Newser) - Gibraltar has decided to kill a band of its famous Barbary apes that has been harassing tourists and residents, AP reports. The 25-strong group of renegade apes—actually large monkeys—has moved to a popular beach area where the animals have been stealing food and climbing into open windows. The... More »

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monkey • apes • tourists • Barbary macaques • Gibraltar

Laughter Also Good Medicine for Orangutans

Study finds empathy, mimicry in primates' grins and chuckles

Jan 2, 08 4:52 PM CST
(Newser) - Humans aren't the only animals who laugh, according to a new study. Orangutans engage in a primitive form of laughing, the BBC reports—when one exhibits a facial expression such as an open, gaping mouth, and a companion displays the same expression less than half a second later. This sense... More »

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apes • orangutans • laughter • primates • laughing • facial expressions

What's Baby Got That Chimps Don't?

Study pits toddlers against primates to see how human brains are different

Sep 7, 07 12:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - What makes humans smarter than their primate relatives? Into the ongoing debate comes a new study that concludes it's not just size, it's the particular kind of computing power. A study matching human toddlers with chimps and orangutans compared their performance on a battery of different kinds of tasks. The... More »

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evolution • intelligence • children • learning • baby • chimpanzees • apes

Orangutans Play Charades

Apes pay attention to whether they are being understood

Aug 2, 07 9:24 AM CDT
(Newser) - Orangutan communication works just like a game of charades, according to new research. Orangs and other apes who use signals to communicate what they want pay careful attention to whether their audience understands their gestures—if something works, they repeat it, and if they aren't getting through they try another... More »

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communication • apes • orangutans • language • human evolution • charades

10 Stories


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