Animals
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Animals
Chimps lend a hand
The finding suggests nonhuman primates recognize their peers’ intentions and desires.
By Bruce Bower -
Paleontology
Early animals dethroned
Cell division patterns in controversial Chinese fossils place them outside the animal kingdom.
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Animals
Lost to history: The “churk”
More than a half-century ago, researchers at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center outside Washington, D.C., engaged in some creative barnyard breeding. Their goal was the development of fatherless turkeys — virgin hens that would reproduce via parthenogenesis. Along the way, and ostensibly quite by accident, an interim stage of this work resulted in a rooster-fathered hybrid that the scientists termed a churk.
By Janet Raloff -
Animals
Baboon bosses get stressed for success
In the wild, the most powerful males reign tensely.
By Bruce Bower -
Animals
Chimp has an ear for talk
Human-raised Panzee challenges the notion that only people can discern acoustically altered words.
By Bruce Bower -
Animals
Lionfish no match for big groupers
Despite its invasive success, the lionfish can't withstand grouper appetites.
By Janet Raloff -
Animals
Chimps wear personalities on their mugs
Humans can assess the dominance of their close evolutionary relatives by glancing at the apes’ expressionless faces.
By Bruce Bower -
Animals
Female chimps play with ‘dolls’
Youngsters mimic mothering by cradling sticks, reigniting debate over sex differences in toy choices.
By Bruce Bower -
Animals
Island orangs descend from small group
Bornean apes went through a genetic bottleneck when isolated during an ancient glaciation.
By Susan Milius -
Animals
DEET of the sea
Before turning in for the night, some reef-dwelling fish apply a slimy mucus shield to deter biting bugs.