Category Archives: Primates
SHAMELESS PLUG
April 2007 The paperback edition of my book about the 17th century discovery of “the secrets of sex, life and growth” is out (£7.99). It’s called The Egg and Sperm Race and you can get it at Blackwell’s or from Amazon. It’s … Continue reading
PRIMATE RIGHTS?
April 2007 Interesting magazine article from the BBC website outlining the arguments for primates having rights. Or not.
Filed under Ecology (political), Mammals, Primates
SAVING GORILLAS
March 2007 BBC ”From Our Own Correspondent” piece about re-introducing orphaned gorillas into the forest in Gabon.
Filed under BBC, Conservation, Primates
CHIMP TOOL USE – 1
February 2007 Archaeological evidence shows that chimps have been using tools in the western forest of Ivory Coast for about 4000 years. BBC report here, PNAS article here.
CHIMP TOOL USE – 2
February 2007 It now appears that chimps not only use rocks and sticks, they also use ”spears”, according to this latest article in Current Biology (open access). Females pick up tool use quicker than males, which may have implications for the evolution … Continue reading
LOVE THOSE BONOBOS
February 2007 Current Biology “Quick Guide” (open access) on the Bonobo chimpanzee.
Filed under Primates, Quick Guides
BAD NEWS FOR ORANGS
February 2007 A new UN report reveals that their situation is even more drastic than was previously thought. The reason? Illegal logging.
Filed under Conservation, Primates
ROUTE PLANNING FOR BABOONS
February 2007 A recent article in Animal Behaviour shows that chacma baboons plan their routes as they wander around the environment looking for food. In particular, they tend to head for more distant, highly-valued resources such as fruit, by-passing closer food sources such … Continue reading
HOMININS AND HOMINIDS
December 2006 I have been the use of the term “hominin” instead of ”hominid”. It turns out I’m not the only one to be confused. Simon Underdown of Oxford Brookes University, has written a letter to Nature (7 December 2006) pointing out that there … Continue reading
Filed under Fossils, Human evolution, Primates
EBOLA VIRUS KILLS GORILLAS
December 2006 One of our closest relatives may be brought to the brink of extinction by a combination our ourselves and the lethal ebola virus, an article in Science shows. The last outbreak killed 5000 animals. Science article (you or your Institution … Continue reading
