Evolutionary Anthropology

A chimpanzee researchers have named Duane watches the sunrise in Uganda. (Florian Moellers)

June 16, 2021

Sweeping Analysis Concludes There’s No Cheating Old Age

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An Amboseli baboon in Kenya. A new study shows that chronic stress in female baboons leads to premature deaths. (Fernando Campos)

April 21, 2021

Stress and Death in Female Baboons -- as Measured by Hormones in Poop

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Teeth-baring, glaring confrontations are a normal part of being the boss male baboon. A new study shows that the guys at the top will age faster as a result of constantly having to defend their higher status. (Courtney L. Fitzpatrick)

April 6, 2021

A Male Baboon’s Dominance Gives Him Babies, but Costs Him Years

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graphic of person walking large staircase

March 29, 2021

How Human Evolution Busts Myths about Diet and Exercise

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Humans may have evolved to need less water than our closest animal relatives, according to a new study. Credit: Pixabay.

March 5, 2021

Humans Evolved to Be the Water-Saving Ape

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We are 99% the same as Chimpanzees at the genetic level, but the differences of that one percent are dramatic. (Photo by Petr Kratochvil)

February 18, 2021

Learning From Our Closest Relatives

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Mongoose lemur mates huddle at the Duke Lemur Center. These distant primate cousins of humans are among the few mammal species in which male-female partners stick together year after year. Photo: David Haring.

February 12, 2021

Lemurs Show There’s No Single Formula For Lasting Love

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In the last 500 years, the people of Cabo Verde have evolved at a breakneck pace -- thanks to a genetic variant, inherited from their African ancestors, that protects against the ravages of malaria. Credit: F. Mira

January 28, 2021

Malaria Threw Human Evolution Into Overdrive on This African Archipelago

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Young baboons and other primates born in the last four years of a female’s life have a greater risk of dying young. If they survive their mother’s death, their own children are also likely to suffer a premature death. (Fernando Campos)

December 21, 2020

Primate Orphans Have it Tough Even Before Mother Dies

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October 6, 2020

Check This Out! Mysterious Lemur Calls

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September 25, 2020

Seven Million Years of Human Evolution, Captured in 12 Minutes

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Why do humans live so much longer on average than our closest primate relatives, the chimpanzees, despite being 99% identical genetically? Research suggests the epigenetic aging clock ticks slower for humans than for chimps. Photo by Petr Kratochvil.

September 21, 2020

Your Cells Look Young for Their Age, Compared to a Chimp’s

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Grooming is a baboon’s way of bonding. A 35-year study of more than 540 wild baboons in Kenya links strong social bonds to better chances of survival. Photo by Susan Alberts, Duke University.

September 21, 2020

Male Baboons With Female Friends Live Longer

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Primate Evolution with Professor Jenny Tung

September 16, 2020

Fundamental Concepts: Primate Evolution's Tangled Tree

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August 10, 2020

What Puppies Will Make the Grade?

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Sophomore Alina Xiao hugs one of the puppies during a Spring Breakthrough class taught by Brian Hare, professor of evolutionary anthropology,

May 26, 2020

During a Pandemic, Dogs Are Essential Citizens

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