Female affiliation and status in semi-free-ranging chimpanzees – The Cognitive Evolution Group Materials and Methods: We test the drivers of sex differences in chimpanzee behavior by examining a semi-­free-­ranging African chimpanzee sanctuary group where individuals are provisioned, an environment that should relax ecological constraints on socializing. Using two years of focal observations on a group with 45 chimpanzees (17 males, 28 females), we examined sex differences in social proximity, grooming, aggression, coalition formation, and dominance.

Find the PDF here: sites.lsa.umich.edu/cognitive-ev...

We implemented focal observations based on the Kibale Chimpanzee Project and found that (unlike in the wild) males and females exhibited similar affiliative behaviors, a high proportion of female aggression involved coalitions, and some adult females outranked a few lower-status adult males

Female Affiliation and Status in Semi‐Free‐Ranging Chimpanzees Objectives Sex differences in social behavior and status are pervasive across primates and other mammals. In the wild, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) exhibit many sex-typed behaviors: adult female ch...

Check out our new paper on #female affiliation and #status in semi-free-ranging #chimpanzees! This is a collaboration with Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, along with Margaret Bryer, @kris-sabbi.bsky.social, @zeppypearl.bsky.social, and many others!

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

The NSF 2027 budget has noted that they will close out the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Science Program (SBE). This is not a good thing. nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/FY-202...

Stand Up for Science is excited to be hosting almost 200 speakers nationwide at our March 7th, National Day of Action rallies, including Representatives, Influencers, Nobel Laureates, PhD's, Former and current US Heath/Science Officials, and much more!

Find the paper here: sites.lsa.umich.edu/cognitive-ev...

Minimal Evidence of Inflammaging in Naturalistic Chimpanzee Populations Objectives Whereas chronic inflammation is a hallmark of aging in many human populations, inflammaging is reduced in groups characterized by frequent physical activity and diets low in processed foo...

Check out our new paper on (lack of) #inflammaging in semi-free-ranging sanctuary and wild #chimpanzees, led by @megancole.bsky.social along with many others! A story spanning two sanctuaries, the #Kibale Chimpanzee Project, and a lot of biosamples.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

ACIP CHAIR’S COMMENTS — The head of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s panel of independent vaccine advisers recently questioned the necessity of the polio vaccine — spurring a sharp backlash from Democrats and public health experts. “As you look at polio, we need to not be afraid to consider that we are in a different time now than we were then,” said Kirk Milhoan, chair of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, on the podcast “Why Should I Trust You?” “Our sanitation is different, our risk of disease is different, and so those all play into the evaluation of whether this is worthwhile of taking a risk for a vaccine or not,” Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist and a senior fellow at the anti-mRNA Independent Medical Alliance, added. Milhoan also said that “we have to take into account” whether the U.S. is enjoying herd immunity, and whether the disease burden could go up “if we take away all of the herd immunity.” Key context: Before the polio vaccine became available in 1955, roughly 16,000 polio cases occurred each year in the U.S., often paralyzing children. If polio vaccination rates dip, the U.S. could see the return of a disease that once caused widespread fear in America, critics of Kennedy’s advisory panel warn.

We can't believe we have to say this, but POLIO IS REALLY BAD.

RFK Jr.'s "independent" "expert" ACIP is destroying the foundations of our public health system.

It cannot be clearer: if we want to save lives, we have to #RemoveRFKJr.

Take action now: standupforscience.net/impeach-rfkjr

Applications for #UMich #Psychology Diversity Recruitment Weekend are in 2 days! If you are thinking about applying to psychology PhD programs in the future this may be for you! The application is short, but the benefits are big
lsa.umich.edu/psych/divers...

The Senate is voting on funding for DHS this week. Contact your senator now and tell them to defund and rein in ICE.

Find your congressional rep: www.house.gov/representati...
Find your senator: senate.michigan.gov/senators/all...

Rep for Ann Arbor: debbiedingell.house.gov/contact/
Senators for Michigan: www.slotkin.senate.gov/contact/
www.peters.senate.gov/contact/emai...

We are hiring! We have an open position for a new lab coordinator in #primate #cognition and #behavior in the Cognitive Evolution Group at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. Find out more at: sites.lsa.umich.edu/cognitive-ev...

Considering a #psychology #PhD? University of Michigan’s (free!) online Diversity Recruitment Weekend (Mar 27–28) connects you with UM faculty & grad students. Strengthen your apps & meet with #faculty, including in the #Brain&Behavior area! Apply by Jan 28: lsa.umich.edu/psych/divers...

That one person can drag us into a war without consulting or even notifying Congress, or our allies, or fully explaining to the American people why this is necessary, is absolutely bonkers.

Reminder that Congress has the power to stop all of this. Where the hell are they?

The Trump administration’s illegal military action in Venezuela sets a dangerous precedent for national sovereignty. We must recognize that Maduro’s authoritarian government was illegitimate and oppressive, and that the president cannot unilaterally depose a foreign leader.

Find the PDF also here: sites.lsa.umich.edu/cognitive-ev...

In a field experiment examining the emergence of this core sociocognitive ability, we found that wild chimpanzees also show delayed emergence of gaze following compared to humans

Check out our new paper on the #development of #gaze-following in wild #chimpanzees, led by @kris-sabbi.bsky.social, @zeppypearl.bsky.social, & Isabelle Monroe!

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

7 million people took to the streets across the nation to protest in defense of our democracy.

This country belongs to the people. We will fight for it with everything we've got.

Thousands of protesters march down Michigan Ave in Detroit to participate in the nationwide No Kings protest on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. Video by Finn Gomez #NoKings #Protest #Detroit

Check out this online seminar on #applying to grad school from UMich's #Psychology Department (open to all; register her: lsa.umich.edu/psych/underg...)

Did you know #chimpanzees love to #play?

To learn more, check out this paper by our contributors @kris-sabbi.bsky.social, @zeppypearl.bsky.social, and others!

"Ecological variation in adult social play reveals a hidden cost of motherhood for wild chimpanzees"
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Happy World Chimpanzee Day, and pant hoots from the group at Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary!

Proud of UMich grad student Rosa Muñoz for being awarded an @leakeyfoundation.org grant for her dissertation research on "The evolution and psychology of possession in macaques." Congrats Rosa, and all the new grantees!

leakeyfoundation.org/introducing-...

MERKLEY: How do you feel about being responsible for hundreds of thousands of kids dying because of your sudden interruption in these key programs?

VOUGHT: I reject the assertion

MERKLEY: I find your response both ignorant & callous. Few Americans have had a more devastating & disastrous impact

Check out the whole special issue of Philosophical Transactions B @royalsocietypublishing.org on ‘Selection shapes diverse animal minds’ chock-full of intriguing articles, and thanks to @cornishjackdaws.bsky.social‬ & @ellileadbeater.bsky.social‬ for organizing it!

We also applied a 'scaling ToM' approach from developmental science and found that - surprisingly - gaze following seemed to be the most 'difficult' task for monkeys to pass, and knowledge attribution the easiest (thanks to Henry Wellman for the suggestion!)

We found that rhesus and Barbary macaques are similarly successful at several metrics of social cognition, including gaze following, goal attribution & knowledge attribution, but rhesus are much bolder. This is despite major differences in their social behavior.

Tolerant and despotic macaques show divergent temperament but similar theory of mind | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences The social intelligence hypothesis proposes that the demands of social life shape the evolution of cognition, but different aspects of social interactions may be relevant. To test how competitive vers...

Check out our new paper comparing #socialcognition in #tolerant and #despotic #macaques, by @awad-schwob.bsky.social, Rosie Bettle, Megan Mulhinch & @zeppypearl.bsky.social!

royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10....

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences: Vol 380, No 1929

Selection Shapes Diverse Animal Minds: our special issue of @royalsocietypublishing.org Phil Trans B on the diverse evolutionary processes underlying cognitive evolution is out today. Thanks to all our contributors! royalsocietypublishing.org/toc/rstb/202...