Topic description and stories

Chimpanzees are seen attentively listening to other chimpanzees heard at some distance in the West African forests of Côte d’Ivoire, studied as part of research by the Taï Chimpanzee Project

Chimpanzees use hilltops to conduct reconnaissance on rival groups

02 Nov 2023

Research on neighbouring chimpanzee communities in the forests of West Africa suggests a warfare tactic not previously seen beyond humans is...

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A cross-section of the polygonal muscle modelling approach, guided by muscle scarring and MRI data.

First hominin muscle reconstruction shows 3.2 million-year-old ‘Lucy’ could stand as erect as we can

14 Jun 2023

Digital modelling of legendary fossil’s soft tissue suggests Australopithecus afarensis had powerful leg and pelvic muscles suited to tree dwelling...

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Gorillas found to live in 'complex' societies, suggesting deep roots of human social evolution

10 Jul 2019

Algorithms reveal “social tiers” in gorillas seen in only a few other species, such as dolphins and humans. Researchers suggest that some of these...

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U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program wrestler Spc. Jeremiah Davis (right) squares off against Sunkist Kids' Joe Betterman

‘Believing you’re a winner’ gives men a testosterone boost and promiscuous disposition

09 Aug 2018

New findings suggest that the male body tries to “optimise” self-perceived improvements in social status through hormonal shifts that promote “short-...

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Lead researcher Dr Danny Longman rowing with the Cambridge University Boat Club. This is an example of the type and standard of the sample population used in the study.

'Selfish brain' wins out when competing with muscle power, study finds

20 Oct 2017

New research on our internal trade-off when physical and mental performance are put in direct competition has found that cognition takes less of a...

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Meet the hominin species that gave us genital herpes

02 Oct 2017

New research uses innovative data modelling to predict which species acted as an intermediary between our ancestors and those of chimpanzees to carry...

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Barbary Macaques in their natural habitat of the Atlas Mountains

Monkeys regulate metabolism to cope with environment and rigours of mating season

20 Apr 2016

The flexible physiology of Barbary macaques in responding to extreme environmental conditions of their natural habitat may help shed light on the...

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A black howler monkey chorus

Calls vs. balls: monkeys with more impressive roars produce less sperm

22 Oct 2015

Evolutionary ‘trade-off’ between size of throat and testes discovered in howler monkeys furthers Darwin’s theory of sexual selection and corresponds...

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Young chimpanzee playing with branches.

Young male chimpanzees play more than females with objects, but do not become better tool users

07 Oct 2015

Research into differences between chimpanzees and bonobos in ‘preparation’ for tool use reveals intriguing sex bias in object manipulation in young...

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Right: excavation deep down into the latrine by the Ecole Biblique de Jerusalem. Left: Taenia tapeworm egg in the latrine indicating either pork or beef tapeworm.

Human parasites found in medieval cesspit reveal links between Middle East and Europe

19 Mar 2015

Analysis of a latrine in Jerusalem that dates back over 500 years finds human parasites common in northern Europe yet very rare in Middle East at the...

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A memorial to Nelson Mandela to mark centenary of Arch and Anth tripos

12 Mar 2015

A campaign has been launched to provide a Mandela Professorship in African Archaeology at the University of Cambridge.

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Hunter-gatherer bone mass (left) compared with agriculturalist bone mass (right)

Hunter-gatherer past shows our fragile bones result from physical inactivity since invention of farming

22 Dec 2014

Latest analysis of prehistoric bones show there is no anatomical reason why a person born today could not develop the skeletal strength of a...

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