http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. The world's rarest -- and most camera shy -- great ape has finally been captured on professional video on a forested mountain in Cameroon, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society and Germany's NDR Naturfilm. http://www.physorg.com/news180190748.html Biology Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:59:42 EST news180190748 The hormones, called androgens, are important in the development of masculine characteristics such as aggression and strength. It is also thought that prenatal androgens affect finger length during development in the womb. High levels of androgens, such as testosterone, increase the length of the fourth finger in comparison to the second finger. Scientists used finger ratios as an indicator of the levels of exposure to the hormone and compared this data with social behaviour in primate groups. http://www.physorg.com/news176555766.html Biology Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:17:05 EST news176555766 Cinta, a baby orangutan found lost and alone in a vast Borneo palm oil plantation, now clings to a tree at a sanctuary for the great apes, staring intently at dozens of tourists. http://www.physorg.com/news175433385.html Biology Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:50:01 EST news175433385 In Aesop's fable 'The crow and the pitcher' a thirsty crow uses stones to raise the level of water in a pitcher to quench its thirst. A new study published online today (06 August) in the journal Current Biology demonstrates that rooks, birds belonging to the corvid (or crow) family, are able to solve complex problems using tools and can easily master the same technique demonstrated in Aesop's fable. http://www.physorg.com/news168786562.html Biology Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:10:29 EST news168786562 Movement through a complex meshwork of small branches at the heights of tropical forests presents a unique challenge to animals wanting to forage for food safely. It can be particularly dangerous for large animals where a fall of up to 30m could be fatal. Scientists found that dangerous tree vibrations can be countered by the orang-utan's ability to move with an irregular rhythm. http://www.physorg.com/news167934050.html Biology Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:21:25 EST news167934050 Like human infants, young apes are known to hoot and holler when you tickle them. But is it fair to say that those playful calls are really laughter? The answer to that question is yes, say researchers reporting online on June 4th in Current Biology. http://www.physorg.com/news163343088.html Biology Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:05:20 EST news163343088 Jeremy M. DeSilva an anthropologist at Worcester University in Massachusetts has published "Functional Morphology of the Ankle and the Likelihood of Climbing in Early Hominins," in the peer-reviewed journal, Proceeding of the National Academies of Sciences of the USA current issue. The study includes data gathered by DeSilva in Uganda's Kibale National Park of modern chimpanzee and comparisons of hominin fossil skeletal remains dating back some 4.12 million to 1.53 million years ago. The findings appear to show that if early hominins depended on tree climbing as part of their survival repertoire, they were performing it decidedly different from modern chimpanzee locomotor activity. http://www.physorg.com/news159038272.html Biology Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:18:32 EST news159038272 Throughout history, human beings have used the whistle for everything from hailing a cab to carrying a tune. Now, an orangutan's spontaneous whistling is providing scientists at Great Ape Trust of Iowa new insights into the evolution of speech and learning. http://www.physorg.com/news148226438.html Biology Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:00:38 EST news148226438 What happens when linguistic tools used to analyze human language are applied to a conversation between a language-competent bonobo and a human? The findings, published this month in the Journal of Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, indicate that bonobos may exhibit larger linguistic competency in ordinary conversation than in controlled experimental settings. http://www.physorg.com/news139161961.html Biology Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:06:01 EST news139161961