The Semliki Chimpanzee Project

22/05/2026

"Scientists have identified dozens of previously overlooked cultural behaviors in wild chimpanzees, suggesting that the great ape's culture extends far beyond complex skills like tool use. In a single community, they found nearly 70 behaviors that chimpanzees appear to learn from one another—almost doubling previous estimates of cultural behaviors across African chimpanzee populations."

https://phys.org/news/2026-05-chimpanzees-reveal-socially-behaviors-cultural.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawR8XeBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeuji51BDB9W44qT-gqD-lHfZ9bP5glJfiuSs784dthLT5dyQuZL1OBH8xeT8_aem_9tMwoXuo_OoV7FaVvFh6gA

Scientists have identified dozens of previously overlooked cultural behaviors in wild chimpanzees, suggesting that the great ape's culture extends far beyond complex skills like tool use. In a single community, they found nearly 70 behaviors that chimpanzees appear to learn from one another—almost...

08/05/2026

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1343351050995379&set=a.652808673382957

As David Attenborough turns 100 today, his legacy stands as a testament to how our relationship with the natural world has shifted over the last century.

When Attenborough began at the BBC in the 1950s, his mission was one of discovery. In an era when the natural world was assumed to be enduring and resilient, programs like "Zoo Quest" focused on the novelty of unfamiliar species. His measured narration and patient observation allowed the public to encounter the living world with a sense of wonder, rarely placing the human element at the center.

However, as the 21st century brought evidence of bleached coral reefs and fragmented habitats, that balance shifted. His later work, including "Planet Earth II" and "A Life on Our Planet," retained its visual discipline but adopted a more direct purpose. The beauty remained, but it was now framed by the strain of biodiversity loss.

The arc of Attenborough’s career traces a broader global shift: what began as an effort to reveal the richness of life on Earth has become a sober assessment of its trajectory. At 100, his message is clear: understanding the natural world is no longer a matter of curiosity alone; it is the foundation of our responsibility to the future.

Read Rhett Ayers Butler’s "Founder’s Briefs" on David Attenborough's legacy: https://mongabay.cc/AtnBro

25/04/2026

"A pioneering project led by researchers from the University of Stirling and the Max Planck Institute has opened the door for new insights into the evolutionary origins of human intelligence, by compiling the largest dataset of great ape cognition available globally."

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17WHMXoJHN/

A pioneering project led by researchers from the University of Stirling and the Max Planck Institute has opened the door for new insights into the evolutionary origins of human intelligence, by compiling the largest dataset of great ape cognition available globally.

25/04/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1E9cqxUTdm/

1h 30m | TV-PG

24/04/2026

24/04/2026

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1331238872201318&set=a.640740041251208

“People come to me and say: ‘Well, look at the world, look at the wars, look at the destruction. ... What can I do? I’m just one person,’” said Jane Goodall, the late conservationist, in a previously unaired interview.

“Just do something.” https://wapo.st/3OWZ2XM

10/04/2026

"The study of Sandel et al. also reinforces the importance of maintaining long-term field research sites and of preserving endangered species. Many valuable scientific insights have only been possible because of the commitment and sustained cooperation of those who study and support these species in the wild. These efforts are essential to protect threatened nonhuman populations, preserve the planet, and enable the scientific progress that results from studying species in their natural habitats."

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aeg6719?fbclid=IwY2xjawRGQ4dleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeBtGF5vgw0u4OxmT4Fh_0LuhfxownQrAc6btW0HbmZ8P-15E10O7FXPIiZto_aem_vnQLFmcQT1LKpWoPldqPAw

A violent split in a group of chimpanzees highlights the evolutionary roots of war and peace

24/03/2026

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=946233344454449&set=a.200345232376601

Keluarga Besar FORINA menyampaikan turut berduka yang sangat mendalam atas berpulangnya Prof. Dr. Birute Mary Galdikas.

Beliau bukan hanya seorang ilmuwan, tetapi juga penjaga hutan, suara bagi yang tak bisa bersuara, dan cahaya bagi konservasi orangutan di dunia. Dedikasi seumur hidupnya telah mengubah cara kita memahami, melindungi, dan memperjuangkan masa depan orangutan dan habitatnya.

Terima kasih atas keberanian untuk memulai ketika sedikit yang peduli. Terima kasih atas ketekunan yang tidak tergoyahkan di tengah tantangan. Terima kasih telah membuka jalan bagi begitu banyak generasi penerus konservasi.

Inspirasi beliau akan terus hidup, di setiap kanopi hutan yang masih berdiri, di setiap individu orangutan yang terselamatkan, dan di setiap langkah kecil yang kita lanjutkan hari ini.

Selamat jalan, Prof. Dr. Birute Mary Galdikas. Jejakmu akan terus kami jaga.

06/02/2026

"A male bonobo called Kanzi is the first non-human animal to clearly grasp the concept of make believe. In experiments reported today in Science, the ape favoured a cup that scientists had pretended to fill with juice over one they had pretended to empty1.

The study adds to evidence that some animals, including humans’ closest relatives, can conceive of objects, events and individuals that aren’t “in the here and now”, says Amalia Bastos, a comparative psychologist at the University of St Andrews, UK, who co-authored the study with cognitive scientist Christopher Krupenye at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

“It tells us that maybe they have a richer inner mental life than some people might have given them credit for or expected,” she adds."

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00357-7?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nature&linkId=48091502&fbclid=IwY2xjawPzPDdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEebLAKyA3HjcMOrXPEBwc4oAtt2-dNYzbvy-zSyIB0FdsWJiQHCjPYXTZ3PHY_aem_WkoCF1v8FfwBm_qIGT7zEA

In the first demonstration of pretend play in a non-human, the ape favoured a cup filled with imaginary juice over one with its ‘contents’ emptied.