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Research explores whether the eye influenced the development of language

Eyes provide us with most information about the surrounding world. Yet, the eye, especially that of a human, enables not only to receive stimuli but also to transfer this information outside.

9 Jan 2023

Bonobos produce "baby-like" signals to display distress following aggressive attacks, study finds

Psychologists from Durham University, UK have found in their study that bonobos produce a variety of signals including "baby-like" signals to strategically display distress when they are attacked by other bonobos.

5 Aug 2022

Joint commitment process of apes mirrors patterns similar to humans

When we're talking to another person, we probably wouldn't leave without saying goodbye; that would just be impolite.

11 Aug 2021

Researchers decipher evolution of the Y chromosome in great apes

New analysis of the DNA sequence of the male-specific Y chromosomes from all living species of the great ape family helps to clarify our understanding of how this enigmatic chromosome evolved.

6 Oct 2020

New study provides insights into developmental organization of the brain

What makes us human, and where does this mysterious property of "humanness" come from? Humans are genetically similar to chimpanzees and bonobos, yet there exist obvious behavioral and cognitive differences.

13 Feb 2019

Penn researchers find evidence of new malaria species in wild bonobos

Malaria parasites, although widespread among wild chimpanzees and gorillas, have not been detected in bonobos, a chimp cousin. Reasoning that previous studies may have missed infected bonobo populations, a team led by Beatrice Hahn, MD, a professor of Microbiology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, conducted a more extensive survey, increasing both the number and places they sampled wild bonobo populations.

21 Nov 2017

Researchers develop fast algorithm that provides new insights into protein evolution

Understanding evolution is one of the cornerstones of biology - evolution is, in fact, the sole explanation for life's diversity on our planet.

9 May 2017

Bonobos may be more closely linked to anatomy of human ancestors, study finds

A new study examining the muscular system of bonobos provides firsthand evidence that the rare great ape species may be more closely linked, anatomically, to human ancestors than common chimpanzees

28 Apr 2017

Scientists identify role of non-coding elements in shaping human-specific traits

Human-specific variants of four microRNAs may have altered expression levels and gene targets compared to other great apes, according to a study published April 22, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Alicia Gallego from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Spain, and colleagues.

10 May 2016

Research gives scientists new insight into evolution of gibbon genome

A team led by an Oregon Health & Science University researcher has sequenced and annotated the genome of the only ape whose DNA had yet to be sequenced - the gibbon, an endangered small ape that inhabits the tropical forests of Southeast Asia.

11 Sep 2014

Origin of deadly human malaria parasite linked to primates in Africa, not Asia

An international team of scientists has traced the origin of Plasmodium vivax, the second-worst malaria parasite of humans, to Africa, according to a study published this week in Nature Communications.

25 Feb 2014

Scientists find disparities in regulation of transposons between humans and non-human primate cells

Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have, for the first time, taken chimpanzee and bonobo skin cells and turned them into induced pluripotent stem cells, a type of cell that has the ability to form any other cell or tissue in the body.

24 Oct 2013

Article reveals why humans are wired to favor the beautiful ones

"What is beautiful is good" -- but why? A recent article in The Quarterly Review of Biology provides a compelling physiological explanation for the "beauty stereotype": why human beings are wired to favor the beautiful ones.

26 Sep 2013

Smell and sexual reproduction

Humans have the same receptors for detecting odors related to sex as do other apes and primates. But each species uses them in different ways, stemming from the way the genes for these receptors have evolved over time, according to Duke University researchers.

9 Dec 2009

Genomics study provides insight into the evolution of unique human traits

Researchers from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, along with colleagues from Stanford University, report the results of a large-scale, genome-wide study to investigate gene copy number differences among ten primate species, including humans.

1 Aug 2007

Ape gestures offer clues to evolution of human communication

Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, have found bonobos and chimpanzees use manual gestures of their hands, feet and limbs more flexibly than they do facial expressions and vocalizations, further supporting the evolution of human language began with gestures as the gestural origin hypothesis of language suggests.

1 May 2007

Significant genetic differences found in three types of chimpanzee

The largest study to date of genetic variation among chimpanzees has found that the traditional, geography-based sorting of chimps into three populations,western, central and eastern, is underpinned by significant genetic differences, two to three times greater than the variation between the most different human populations.

21 Apr 2007

DNA discovery may help explain disorders such as autism

Researchers have made a discovery that may in future help to explain many aspects of human social behavior and disorders such as autism.

10 Jun 2005

Variations in genetic code affect social behavior

Why are some people shy while others are outgoing? A study in the current issue of Science demonstrates for the first time that social behavior may be shaped by differences in the length of seemingly non-functional DNA, sometimes referred to as junk DNA.

9 Jun 2005