As research involving transplanting lab-grown human ‘mini-brains’ into animals to study neurological diseases continues to expand, experts warn the work with these brain organoids could result in a ‘Planet of the Apes’ scenario. The concern is animals could develop humanized traits and behave similar to the intelligent apes of the popular science fiction story. The … Read more
Not so bird-brained after all: Baby ravens pick up in four months skills that great apes take a lifetime to learn Researchers from Germany put young ravens through various cognitive tests They then compared the results with those of chimpanzees and orangutans Ravens appeared to acquire all their cognitive prowess in their first four months They … Read more
Dolphins can pick up new hunting skills from non-family members just like great apes — and don’t always need mum to teach them the ropes, a study has found. Biologists watched dolphins off of the Australian coast pick up a hunting technique — involving shaking hidden prey out of discarded shells — by mimicking each other. … Read more
Apes’ inner ears could help scientists reconstruct the early branches of the human family tree and identify the last common ancestor from which we evolved Researchers compared the bony inner ear structures of 27 primate species These included humans and gorillas as well as extinct apes and Australopithecus They found that ear structure similarities indicate evolutionary relationships … Read more