gorillas
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](/content/images/size/w1460/2023/08/gorilla-beringei-eyes-closeup-sharpphotography-wikimedia.jpg)
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](/content/images/size/w1460/2022/09/shanidar-1-skull-and-skeleton-iraq-national-museum-osama-shukir-muhammed-amin-wikipedia-1.jpg)
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.