Mutation spotted! Evolve, you cheeky monkey! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. From swinging through trees to driving through concrete jungles, we’ve come a long way from our primate ancestors! But our genes connect us! Could analyzing primate genomes help us understand human
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Ring around the rosyyy… This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Remember spinning around the playground as a kid til you felt like hurling–or maybe did!?? It turns out many other primates like to spin too! What makes this silly, dizzying pastime so much fun? Adriano
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When the going gets tough, the tough. . . lean on our friends?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying it’s COOL to be a monkey – they’ve got it made in the shade! Literally. But in 2017, Hurricane Maria swept through Puerto Rico destroying
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When it comes to helping strangers, what kind of ape are you? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. You might think altruism is a uniquely human trait. For example, when lending a helping hand, chimpanzees tend to favor their friends. But do other primates show
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Let’s give evolution a high five! Literally! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Primates are our closest relative. But our hands evolved very differently. They don’t have nearly the dexterity we do. How did we humans get to be so…handy? Many anthropologists think it’s because
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When it comes to helping strangers, what kind of ape are you? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. You might think altruism is a uniquely human trait. For example, when lending a helping hand, chimpanzees tend to favor their friends. But do other primates show
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Mind over matter! And robots? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Advanced prosthetics hook up a robotic limb directly to your brain. Though still rudimentary, researchers hope to restore natural movement, and even touch, to amputees. But can brains really adapt and control this new
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Who’s more sensible? Humans? Or Monkeys? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Meet Yale psychologist Laurie Santos. She researches human buying habits by having monkeys barter for treats. She says Capuchin monkeys understand economics. She gives them tokens—monkey money! Her monkeys are trained to exchange
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Hey, guys: You can be large or you can be loud. This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and a trade-off that makes monkeys howl. Howler monkeys, that is. They’re native to Central and South American forests. And they’re known for their loud calls, which carry
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Do apes go bananas over scary movies? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Have you ever re-watched old movies and cringed, anticipating the scary parts? Psychologists from Japan’s Kyoto University wondered if apes also get the creeps. Apes are known for their long term memories.
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