Topic description and stories

One of the captive chimpanzees in the research trial receiving the oral Ebola vaccination

Final biomedical trial on captive chimpanzees is first oral Ebola vaccine for saving wild apes

09 Mar 2017

Oral vaccine offers hope for ape species ravaged by Ebola and other diseases, as it can be widely dispersed to save more wild animals. However...

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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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A Young Chimpanzee Playing with Twigs

Tool use is 'innate' in chimpanzees but not bonobos, their closest evolutionary relative

16 Jun 2015

First evidence for a species difference in the innate predisposition for tool use in our closest evolutionary cousins could provide insight into how...

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Chimp eating army ants using an 'ant-dipping' tool

Chimpanzees have favourite ‘tool set’ for hunting staple food of army ants

16 Oct 2014

New research shows that chimpanzees search for the right tools from a key plant species when preparing to ‘ant dip’ - a crafty technique enabling...

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Common chimpanzee

Ebola vaccine success highlights dilemma of testing on captive chimps to save wild apes

26 May 2014

Study illustrates “high conservation potential” of vaccines for endangered wild primates devastated by viral disease, but highlights need for access...

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Tree-nesting.

Earlier relatives may have climbed out of family tree

16 Apr 2012

Chimpanzee behaviour suggests tree-to-ground transition occurred before the emergence of ancient humans.

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A chimpanzee moving bipedally during the study.

One step for early hominins: Study reveals why our ancestors switched to bipedal power

20 Mar 2012

Our earliest ancestors may have started walking on two limbs instead of four in a bid to monopolise resources and to carry as much food as possible...

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White-headed Capuchin

Monkey business

01 Jun 2007

Ground-breaking discoveries by two Cambridge researchers have placed monkey behaviour closer to humans than had previously been thought. Dr Antonio...

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