The Semliki Chimpanzee Project

13/09/2026

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1603890487945372

08/09/2026

"Some chimpanzees in West Africa repeatedly throw rocks at particular trees, creating piles of stones that can remain in use for more than a decade. Researchers think this unusual behavior may be cultural and could serve as a form of communication, territorial signaling, or something more symbolic. Camera traps and audio recordings are now being used to reveal who throws the stones and how nearby chimpanzees respond."

Some chimpanzees in West Africa repeatedly throw rocks at particular trees, creating piles of stones that can remain in use for more than a decade. Researchers think this unusual behavior may be cultural and could serve as a form of communication, territorial signaling, or something more symbolic. C...

02/09/2026

https://www.instagram.com/p/DcxCBxbDJlr/?img_index=1

01/09/2026

"Intelligence is an energetically expensive luxury – as the rise of artificial intelligence has reminded us. The human brain is no exception.

Comprising roughly 2% of the body weight, it uses one fifth the body’s energy in the resting state – compared with less than half of this in non-human primates. A five-year-old child devotes 66% of the energy they need to stay alive to their brain.

How did our ancestors foot the energy bill to run their uniquely large brains? Eating more meat is often considered to be the answer. But there’s a catch. The brain relies on a form of fuel that is not present in meat: glucose.

Our new study, published today in Science, shows that carbohydrates contributed more than half our total energy requirements over four million years of evolution. It holds important clues for why we crave sweet foods today – and how we can eat more healthily."

https://theconversation.com/fruit-and-honey-fuelled-the-early-evolution-of-the-human-brain-289026?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawUC6zlwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR6mvSz_D_P06EQeQ70Efz-5tlbuI6l_GAl0as1NdH-fIq4OXWY1L7vy-csaAw_aem_h4KdiBHuT5sK4nRAb8N6KA =1787986345

Intelligence is an energetically expensive luxury. And a new study in Science shows meat has never been the main fuel source for our ancestors.

27/08/2026

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1490055996485311&set=a.620717003419219

The last common ancestor of humans and chimps would have been proficient at vertical climbing, according to kinematic data from the feet of wild sooty mangabeys, chimpanzees, and a modern population of Twa people skilled at climbing. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/ouoI50ZEP1p