From josh.greenman at gmail.com Tue Nov 3 09:49:18 2009 From: josh.greenman at gmail.com (Josh Greenman) Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 09:49:18 -0500 Subject: [monkeywire] Podcast: Economics For Monkeys Message-ID: <70ee28bc0911030649o46371d7ej9760eff5b2a5c04f@mail.gmail.com> http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2009/10/podcast_economics_for_monkeys.html?ft=1&f=93559255 Podcast: Economics For Monkeys On Planet Money: Human beings aren't the only creatures who make economic decisions. It turns out that monkeys do it, too. Scientists have observed our primate kin exchanging goods and services and adjusting prices. Ronald Noe, a professor of primate ethology at the University of Strasbourg, says the vervet monkey of southern and eastern Africa uses grooming as a kind of currency. They determine the value of food providers and divide their attention according to the law of supply and demand. From josh.greenman at gmail.com Wed Nov 11 15:16:07 2009 From: josh.greenman at gmail.com (Josh Greenman) Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:16:07 -0500 Subject: [monkeywire] Africa's rarest monkey had an intriguing sexual past, DNA study confirms Message-ID: <70ee28bc0911111216v468797c7obef0cd0a3df2845b@mail.gmail.com> http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/africas-rarest-monkey-had-intriguing-sexual-past-dna-study-confirms-27137.html Africa's rarest monkey had an intriguing sexual past, DNA study confirms Durham, NC -- The most extensive DNA study to-date of Africa's rarest monkey reveals that the species had an intriguing sexual past. Of the last two remaining populations of the recently discovered kipunji, one population shows evidence of past mating with baboons while the other does not, says a new study in Biology Letters. The results may help to set conservation priorities for this critically endangered species, researchers say. A shy tree-dwelling monkey with a black face and long brown fur, the kipunji (key-POON-jee) was unknown to science until 2003, when it was discovered in a remote region of southern Tanzania. Until recently, little was known about its biology except what scientists could glean from observations and a single specimen found in a farmer's trap. The first analyses revealed that kipunji represented an entirely new genus of primate, Rungwecebus. Now, thanks to additional DNA samples collected from dung and tissue -- the most extensive genetic data to date -- scientists have a more complete picture of the genetic makeup of this monkey. The kipunji is found in two tiny forest fragments totaling less than 7 square miles, researchers explained. Of the last two remaining populations, one is in Tanzania's Southern Highlands, and the other lies 250 miles away in a mountain range called the Udzungwas. Armed with six dung samples from the Udzungwas -- the first ever genetic material from this population -- and two additional tissue samples from the Southern Highlands, the researchers were able to reconstruct the genetic relationships between these populations and kipunji's closest kin. Confirming other reports, the Southern Highlands population contained bits of DNA that are similar to baboons. This suggests that the two species interbred at some point after they diverged, researchers explained. "Way back in time in the evolutionary history of this population there was at least one event where there was some cross-fertilization with a baboon," said study author Tim Davenport of the Wildlife Conservation Society. In contrast, the researchers discovered that the Udzungwa population showed no traces of baboon DNA. "We thought the DNA from the second population would match the first one, but instead we got something quite different," said first author Trina Roberts of the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center in Durham, NC. Mating across the species barrier isn't unheard of in the animal kingdom. "We usually think of species' genomes as being contained and not sharing with each other, but sometimes one species picks up genetic material from another through interbreeding," said Roberts. "It's as if the genomes are a little leaky." The findings help to settle a debate over kipunji's status as a new genus of primate. "They're still separate taxa -- they're not baboons, they're still kipunji," said co-author Bill Stanley of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. "But there's a little bit of baboon DNA that shows up when you analyze their DNA." Their results may also help to set conservation priorities for this critically endangered monkey. Much of the kipunji's remaining habitat is threatened by deforestation for farming and other uses, the researchers explained. "There's a lot of pressure on the forest for natural resources ? food, medicine, fuel, and building materials," said Davenport. "Part of the challenge we have is making sure the forest isn't degraded any further." Census data indicate there are just over 1,100 individuals left in the wild, said Davenport. Of these, roughly 1,000 live in the Southern Highlands, and 100 remain in the Udzungwas. Both populations may require habitat protection if we are to preserve the genetic diversity of the species, researchers said. "Udzungwa is a tiny population," said Roberts. "What we've shown is that it is substantially different from the first population. We may not be able to resurrect it by simply transplanting kipunji from one population to the other," Roberts said. "If we were to lose it we might in fact lose the true kipunji genome forever," she added. "Does the baboon DNA help to explain why there are differences in number between the two populations, or is just a remnant of evolutionary history?" asked Davenport. "It's too early to say, but it's something we're looking at." "We have two separate populations that are slightly genetically different, so until we learn more it is extremely important that we maintain both of them," Davenport said. "It might be that those genetic differences have an impact on their survival in the future." Additional authors on the study include Kyndall Hildebrandt, Trevor Jones, Eric Sargis, and Link Olson. The team's findings appear online in the November 11th issue of Biology Letters. CITATION: Roberts, T. E., T. Davenport, et al. (2009). "The biogeography of introgression in the critically endangered African monkey Rungwecebus kipunji." Biology Letters. The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide. We do so through science, global conservation, education and the management of the world's largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo. Together these activities change attitudes towards nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in harmony. WCS is committed to this mission because it is essential to the integrity of life on Earth. Visit: www.wcs.org The National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) is an NSF-funded collaborative research center operated by Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University. From joegarden at yahoo.com Thu Nov 12 09:10:25 2009 From: joegarden at yahoo.com (Joe Garden) Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:10:25 -0800 (PST) Subject: [monkeywire] 300-Pound Gorilla Voluntarily Monitors His Blood Pressure Message-ID: <242904.24355.qm@web50609.mail.re2.yahoo.com> http://news.discovery.com/animals/the-300-pound-gorilla-voluntarily-monitors-his-blood-pressure.html 300-Pound Gorilla Voluntarily Monitors His Blood Pressure Imagine trying to monitor the blood pressure of a 300-pound gorilla. A new device, described in the following release from Georgia Institute of Technology Research News, makes that job a lot easier: Zoo Atlanta recently became the first zoological institution in the world to obtain voluntary blood pressure readings from a gorilla. This groundbreaking stride was made possible by the Gorilla Tough Cuff, a blood pressure reading system devised through partnership with the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. Created as a senior design project by biomedical engineering undergraduates David Sotto, Nisha Bhatia, Stephanie Drewicz and Scott Seaman, the prototype has now been successfully tested on one of Zoo Atlanta's 22 western lowland gorillas. The students also had guidance from Hanjoong Jo, the Ada Lee and Pete Correll Professor in Biomedical Engineering and the Division of Cardiology; and Professor Franklin Bost, the Coulter Department director of design instruction. "Zoo Atlanta is home to the nation's largest collection of gorillas, so there is an ongoing responsibility to contribute to the zoological community's understanding of their care," said Dennis Kelly, President and CEO. "We are proud to have spearheaded an effort that will ultimately benefit gorillas living in captive settings around the world." The Gorilla Tough Cuff operates in the same manner as the mechanism familiar to humans, with the patient slipping an arm into a cuff. As the cuff inflates, the blood pressure reading is measured and displayed on a monitor. The student design team's biggest set of challenges, however, was constructing a durable, comfortable cuff large enough to fit an adult male gorilla weighing upwards of 300 pounds. The prototype system was comprised of a blood pressure cuff bolted to a casing made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic. The casing was zip-tied to a rectangular mesh trap and the trap was temporarily attached to the gorilla cage. The pressure cuff tubing was connected to an off-the-shelf veterinary blood pressure monitor located outside of the gorilla cage. "We also built a safety mechanism into the device so that the gorillas would not be injured if they became alarmed or frightened and tried to remove their arm from the cuff," said Sotto, who is currently a graduate student at Georgia Tech. Once the prototype was complete, the Tough Cuff had its first tester: Ozzie, a 48-year-old male western lowland gorilla. Gorillas aren't typically keen on the idea of inserting their arms into inflatable cuffs: Ozzie's accomplishment is the result of months of patience and diligent voluntary positive reinforcement training on the part of Zoo Atlanta's Primate Team. One of four geriatric gorillas living at the Zoo (the others are Shamba, 50; Choomba, 48; and Ivan, 47), Ozzie is at an age where he may be subject to health concerns similar to those experienced by mature humans. Cardiac disease is the leading cause of mortality in adult male gorillas living in captive settings, and the new system will enable veterinarians to more effectively monitor precursory signs such as high blood pressure. "This is a great step forward in the medical management and care of captive gorillas," said Dr. Sam Rivera, Associate Veterinarian at Zoo Atlanta. "Our Veterinary and Primate Teams are extremely fortunate to have the biomedical engineering department at Georgia Tech and Emory University as a resource." The Gorilla Tough Cuff has already been demonstrated for veterinarians and animal care professionals from numerous other accredited zoos. The device could ultimately prove invaluable to the more than 100 institutions around the world currently housing the species. From josh.greenman at gmail.com Thu Nov 12 15:20:18 2009 From: josh.greenman at gmail.com (Josh Greenman) Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:20:18 -0500 Subject: [monkeywire] Brain-delving boffins in key monkey-butler breakthrough Message-ID: <70ee28bc0911121220i727eedc4y2445bb9bf6133759@mail.gmail.com> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/12/chimps_speech_gene/ Brain-delving boffins in key monkey-butler breakthrough Inability of apes to understand drinks orders probed By Lewis Page Posted in Biology, 12th November 2009 11:54 GMT In a development with potentially immense consequences in the important area of monkey butlers, boffins have identified the crucial genetic differences which permit humans to employ speech and deny this ability to chimpanzees, our closest genetic cousins. According to Dr Daniel Geschwind of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, the reason that chimps can't understand orders for drinks lies in the gene FOXP2. Both humans and chimps have this gene, but in chimps it is different. If FOXP2 is mutated in humans, speech difficulties result. "Earlier research suggests that the amino-acid composition of human FOXP2 changed rapidly around the same time that language emerged in modern humans," says Geschwind, currently doing a tour as a visiting boffin at King's College London. "We showed that the human and chimp versions of FOXP2 not only look different but function differently too," continues the prof. "Our findings may shed light on why human brains are born with the circuitry for speech and language and chimp brains are not." Though the research involved slicing up human and chimp brains, neither species was harmed in the experiments - the brains were taken from owners who had died of natural causes, according to lab spokesmen. By probing the brains, Geschwind and his colleagues determined that FOXP2 "switches other genes on and off". The other genes affected by FOXP2 are termed "gene targets". "We found that a significant number of the newly identified targets are expressed differently in human and chimpanzee brains," Geschwind said. "This suggests that FOXP2 drives these genes to behave differently in the two species." The first author of the research, postdoc Genevieve Konopka - also of UCLA - expands on the implications of the boffins' brain probe: "Genetic changes between the human and chimp species hold the clues for how our brains developed their capacity for language," she says. "By pinpointing the genes influenced by FOXP2, we have identified a new set of tools for studying how human speech could be regulated at the molecular level." Quite apart from perhaps imparting in mankind's future hominid servants the crucial ability to teach one another their duties, ("How many monkey butlers will there be?" "One at first, but he'll train others",) the scientists believe their work could lead to cures for autism and schizophrenia. The research is published this week in prestigious boffinry mag Nature. ? * We do know that chimpanzees aren't monkeys. But "chimpanzee butler" doesn't sound right, somehow. From josh.greenman at gmail.com Fri Nov 13 13:52:14 2009 From: josh.greenman at gmail.com (Josh Greenman) Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:52:14 -0500 Subject: [monkeywire] NASA to Subject Monkeys to Radiation Message-ID: <70ee28bc0911131052k1524a79ex1f33f788b1521435@mail.gmail.com> http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/091112-nasa-space-monkeys-radiation.html NASA to Subject Monkeys to Radiation By Clara Moskowitz Staff Writer posted: 12 November 2009 09:54 am ET NASA plans to subject a group of monkeys to radiation to study what might happen to humans on long-term space missions, such as trips to the moon and Mars. The research is the first time in decades that NASA has performed tests on primates, though the agency famously relied on the close human relatives to make some of the first forays into space in the 1950s. "The overall objective of the planned studies with the nonhuman primates is to help NASA predict neurobehavioral effects of space radiation, which are among the most poorly understood health risks for astronauts," NASA spokesman Bill Jeffs told SPACE.com. The agency plans to aim high-energy gamma-ray radiation at 27 squirrel monkeys, then observe how they perform tasks to see how they're affected, Florida Today reported. The experiment is meant to simulate the type of radiation humans are exposed to in space. As NASA plans trips to farther destinations, people will be spending longer amounts of time outside the Earth's protective atmosphere, so more knowledge of the health effects is vital, NASA said. "NASA-funded research has shown that simulated space radiation can affect nerve cells in culture and also the behavior of mice and rats, but these studies are limited in the extent they can be extrapolated to human behavior and performance," Jeffs said. "Studies in nonhuman primates are essential to be able to best predict neurobehavioral effects of radiation on humans." But some animal welfare advocates object to the use of monkeys in research that could harm them. A group of about 100,000 doctors, nurses and laypersons recently petitioned the space agency to put off the $1.75 million project, Florida Today reported, calling the experiment "one giant leap backward for NASA." The doctor planning to carry out the study for NASA, Jack Bergman of Harvard Medical School's McLean Hospital in Boston, declined to comment for this story. Other scientists who have worked with non-human primates defended the need for this type of research. "Due to their phylogenetic proximity to human beings, non-human primates provide a research subject as close to humans as possible," said Christian R. Abee of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, who is not involved in the current project, but consulted with NASA for earlier primate studies. "Therefore, they are the ultimate translational science subject for many studies." The upcoming study intends to expose the test monkeys to a blast of radiation roughly equivalent to what astronauts would be exposed to on a three-year space voyage ? the length of time it would take people to travel to Mars. Though the exposure will likely cause some cellular damage, it will not kill the monkeys, NASA told Florida Today. NASA maintained that the experiments would provide important knowledge for designing future missions. "Currently, there is no information regarding the effects of space radiation on neurobehavioral function in nonhuman primates," Jeffs said. From josh.greenman at gmail.com Tue Nov 17 17:36:55 2009 From: josh.greenman at gmail.com (Josh Greenman) Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:36:55 -0500 Subject: [monkeywire] Bonobo Baby Born at Jacksonville Zoo Message-ID: <70ee28bc0911171436u699bb55ege78c36dc601ddb95@mail.gmail.com> http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2009/11/bonobo-baby-born-at-jacksonville-zoo.html (with photos) November 16, 2009 Bonobo Baby Born at Jacksonville Zoo November 12, 2009 ? Jacksonville, Florida --- Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens announced its fourth bonobo born at the Zoo?the first in five and one-half years. The female infant was born on the 6th of November to Kuni, a 24 ?year-old female bonobo who came to the Jacksonville Zoo from the San Diego Zoo in 2003. The sire of the baby is unknown, but could be either Akili or Mabruki, resident males that are both recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums? Species Survival Plan (SSP) to breed with Kuni. DNA tests will be done when the infant is older to determine paternity. Kuni, born at the Wilhelma Zoo in Germany on February 24, 1985, is important to the Bonobo SSP population because she is unrelated to all other U.S. bonobos, except her daughter Johari. Johari is non-reproductive, making Kuni and this new infant that much more valuable to the population for increasing genetic diversity. Both Kuni and her infant will be monitored closely to make sure that they are healthy. ?The mother has wonderful paternal skills,? said the Zoo?s Director of Animal Programs, Delfi Messinger. ?She seems so proud, and shows her baby to the ?aunties? in the group, as well as to her human caretakers. The pair will be on exhibit intermittently beginning this weekend depending on social grouping and the weather.? From josh.greenman at gmail.com Mon Nov 23 10:23:34 2009 From: josh.greenman at gmail.com (Josh Greenman) Date: Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:23:34 -0500 Subject: [monkeywire] Florida Officials Call Off Search for Runaway Monkey Message-ID: <70ee28bc0911230723i248112fau7b30c2b64f362ab1@mail.gmail.com> http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,576317,00.html Florida Officials Call Off Search for Runaway Monkey Monday, November 23, 2009 OLDSMAR, Fla. ? Authorities have called off the search for a runaway monkey near Tampa. The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission had been attempting to capture the 30-pound monkey after it was seen in trees and rooftops near an apartment complex on Sunday. Deputies say the monkey was last seen entering a heavily wooded area near Oldsmar, 17 miles northwest of Tampa. A crowd looked on as officers tried to chase down the monkey on Sunday. ?They finally got it to jump down and it ran right across the building areas and it kept running away from them. They got it cornered once, but I guess it eluded them again and took off into the woods,? said Florida resident Ashley Thompson. Officials are warning residents that the monkey, likely a macaque, can be aggressive. Any residents that spot the animal should contact Pinellas deputies. The Associated Press contributed to this report.