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chimpanzees

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Tracing the genetic histories of ghost apes

The footprints of extinct lineages are the closest we have to a fossil record of the African apes.

Vivid brown eyes of a mountain gorilla
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Ancient amputations tell remarkable stories of survival and care

A 33,000-year-old case of an amputated leg prompts comparisons to earlier Neandertal instances of amputation.

Skull of the Shanidar 1 individual with portions of the upper body skeleton visible, on a blue velvet table
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Why do male bonobos have such low body fat?

Work by Adrienne Zihlman and Debra Bolter looks at the interesting tissue proportions and what they may imply about energy and diet.

Bonobo leaning toward the left into the camera frame, with green vegetation background
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Interview with Dr. Jill Pruetz about chimpanzees in a savanna habitat

I speak with Dr. Pruetz about her fieldwork with chimpanzees at Fongoli, Senegal.

Jill Pruetz with dark background and photo of chimpanzee in pool of water
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Did Homo erectus get herpes from chimpanzees?

New research suggests that herpes simplex virus 2 may have invaded ancient humans from chimpanzees sometime after 1.6 million years ago.

Herpes simplex viruses in cell nucleus, Wellcome Images CC-BY
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Chimpanzee communities are hundreds of years old

Reviewing a 2014 study by Kevin Langergraber and coworkers looking at the Y chromosome variation within chimpanzee groups.

A chimpanzee looking upward with green leaves in the background
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HIV susceptibility locus protects against an extinct virus

The TRIM5α protein in humans doesn't resist HIV very well but may have once protected us from another ape virus.