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Are gender roles in-born, or are they imprinted upon us? Science blogger Paul F. Norris went searching for answers in the scientific literature and came up with two incredible studies... one on rhesus monkeys, and the other on chimpanzees. What he discovered sheds some thought-provoking light on the nature/nurture debate over gender identity. More »
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Happiness may make us feel good - indeed, that's sort of the point - but does it actually serve a clear evolutionary purpose, or is it just an accidental byproduct of some other adaptation? Some long-lived orangutans have the answer. More »
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Time is running out for the red colubus monkey, which lives in Uganda's Kibale National Park. Chimpanzees appear to be huntings these poor guys to death. It's the first time that one primate species has overhunted another, without humans being involved. More »
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Proboscis monkeys are unlike any other primates. The males' noses are almost four inches long - because females find it sexy, naturally. Plus, they're the only primates to throw up their half-digested food and eat their meals all over again. More »
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Even though they're one of our more distantly related primate cousins, macaque monkeys keep revealing remarkably human-like abilities. First they displayed self-awareness, and now it turns out they can count...but only if they don't get to eat what they're counting. More »
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Could another species someday replace us as Earth's dominant intelligent life and, if so, which species? To answer that question, we need to understand just what intelligence really is. And why, from an evolutionary standpoint, an organism would even want it. More »
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Self-awareness, the ability to assess and even doubt one's own thoughts, is a crucial sign of intelligence, but it's also one of the hardest traits to identify. Macaques have now demonstrated they have self-awareness...which might explain our own evolutionary story. More »
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Our closest relatives - including chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans - have long been considered fundamentally less intelligent than humans. But that could soon change. More »
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A primate skull has been discovered in the Caribbean that looks like nothing ever seen before. Except a monkey from 16 million years ago. Why was such an ancient species roaming the Caribbean just a few thousand years ago? More »
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This little guy is an adult male Horton Plains slender loris. This nocturnal primate has been spotted only four times since its discovery in 1937. Scientists assumed it went extinct after deforestation disrupted its habitat in Sri Lanka. [AFP] More »
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Monkeys made it into space before humans ever broke the atmosphere, and now they might beat us to Mars. Russia is considering a program to train monkeys to work with robots for the long flight to Mars. More »
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Meet Ida, the 47 million year old fossil who may represent one of our earliest known ancestors. She's probably the most complete primate fossil ever discovered, and she explains where humans (and lemurs) come from. More »
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Panbanisha is a prolific painter whose works have sold for hundreds of dollars. She also happens to be a bonobo, one of many apes learning language skills at the Great Ape Trust. To raise money for ape conservation work, the Trust is auctioning off paintings created by Panbanisha and the other ape artists-in-residence. Click through to see a gallery of primate paintings and watch the bonobo’s creative process. More »
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