Not a secret anymore! I am extremely proud and happy to present you the EVApeCognition Dataset, out now in Scientific Data.
Over the last 5 years we have assembled and standardized data from 150 studies on great ape cognition from the WKPRC in the Leipzig Zoo!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Adeline Le Cabec from our lab participated in this new study on Neanderthal growth! Amud 7, the most complete Neanderthal infant skeleton, reveals unusually rapid early-life growth. This discovery suggests Neanderthals may have followed a unique, fast developmental pattern.🧪🏺
doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
This #PhilTransB theme issue, organised by @ellileadbeater.bsky.social and @cornishjackdaws.bsky.social, explores how and why animal minds have evolved to be so different from one another: royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/issue/3...
Now out in PTRSB!🔥
Wherein Francesco d'Errico, Ivan Colage & I track the emergence & trajectory of hominin epistemic #nicheconstruction through material culture—the alteration of the informational landscape via spaces, bodily ornaments, & artificial memory systems.
#evosky #archeosky #philsky
🚨🧪NEW PAPER!🚨 Led by the great @jclark997.bsky.social - We present the Tool Systems Approach: A method to calculate cultural complexity in a way that allows comparisons between the archaeological, ethnographic and primatological records, hence tackling big Qs in CE link.springer.com/article/10.1...
PhilInBioMed-Seminar coming up:
March 17 | 5:00–6:30 pm (CET) | virtual (Zoom)
Join us for a talk by Lucie Laplane (IHPST, Panthéon-Sorbonne Univ., Paris)on "How Much Should Philosophers of Biology Engage with Biology?"
More information can be found here: philinbiomed.cnrs.fr/event/lucie-...
This is probably the hardest I’ve seen a wild primate throw a stone against another stone! Lots of lovely sharp pieces if the Moyen Bafing chimps ever want to take up that cutting/slicing lifestyle…
🏺🪨
It's been a while that we could watch chimps fishing for algae. They do it with longer sticks when gathering the algae from the bottom of the water source. The other technique we've recently seen is scooping algae from the surface.
Some pics from Wolfgang Köhler Primate Research Center (Pongoland), Leipzig Zoo.
Pt.2
cc @chiarapertile.bsky.social
The most unforgettable part, though? Absolutely meeting Jasongo.
Some pics from Wolfgang Köhler Primate Research Center (Pongoland), Leipzig Zoo.
Pt.1
cc @chiarapertile.bsky.social
Never in my wildest dreams, especially coming from philosophy, did I think I'd end up as a visitor at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig. It's been an incredible honor. So grateful to Prof. Russell Gray, the Crow Cognition Group, and the DLCE for hosting me!
#Kava drinking & its role in cultural #evolution. Did the consumption of the mind-altering beverage facilitate the emergence of complex, hierarchical #societies in #Oceania? New study @pnas.org by an intl. team led by @vaclavhrncir.bsky.social. See tinyurl.com/4jt8vy3d & www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
1/3
🎉 Big announcement! On February 24, @univbordeaux.bsky.social will award the title of Doctor Honoris Causa to our esteemed colleague João Zilhão. A well-deserved honor for an exceptional researcher!
A very interesting volume edited by Mathilde Lequin (@pacea.bsky.social) & Juan Manuel Rodríguez Caso examining historical & epistemological dimensions of human evolutionary research. A much welcome contribution to the growing field of the philosophy of paleoanthropology.
#hpbio #paleosky #philsky
New blog post!!🚨
Michael Chimento gives an overview of the new R package STbayes, designed for creating, fitting and understanding Bayesian models of social transmission 🌍 🧪
Read the blog here 👇
At this site (Eternal Victory in Outamba Kilimi National Park, Sierra Leone) we can see chimps using tools to both fish the algae from the bottom of the river beds and scoop it from the surface. Even the small infants are practicing this important type of tool use while overseen by their mothers.
‼️SAVE THE DATE‼️
We are excited to welcome you again in Utrecht, NL for the next Culture Conference on the 26th & 27th of February 2026!
And surprise! We will also host a hands-on workshop on the 25th/02 🙌💻
So stay tuned for future announcements here & on the website 🔎
culture-conference.com
Animal culture paper alert 🚨
Young chimps play weird with tools and other objects & this can lead to innovation! Moss sponging, doll play, leaf clipping to ask for carrying. If copied and retained, rare kid innovations can contribute to cultural complexity 🧪🔬🐵
My fav article I've ever worked on: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A female wolf has been doing something unusual on the Central Coast of British Columbia. She's learned to pull crab traps up from the water, yanking on a rope to bring it to the surface. But is it tool use? Very fun story from @phiejacobs.bsky.social for @science.org
#CrowCoG is hiring🚨MULTIPLE PAID RESEARCH ASSISTANT POSITIONS 🚨for our 2026 field season (May - Sep)! Field and aviary-based positions - come help us study the remarkable tool-making New Caledonian crows. Apply here: bit.ly/3WlxxHE
In October 2016, I filmed this wild New Caledonian crow making a probe tool to extract beetle larvae from candlenut trees.
It carefully trimmed the leaves and ends, testing its grip a few times, then flew off to use the tool. A well planned heist.
📽️ west of Mont Do, New Caledonia 🧪🪶🏺
Had such a fantastic time at ISHPSSB 2025 in Porto!
Great talks and inspiring conversations about philosophy of biology (and cultural coevolution) with amazing people.
#ISHPSSB2025 #hpbio #philsci #histstm #histsci #philbio #hbio #sts
Happy to share our new paper introducing the Animal Culture Database in Scientific Data: We’re putting together a resource consolidating primary research on cultural behaviors in wild animal populations and how they’re affected by human activity (1/5) www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Philosopher Andra Meneganzin speaks at the opening of the workshop “Perspectives on Human Variation: Philosophy Meets Evolutionary Anthropology” at KU Leuven. She stands in a historic room (Raadzaal) with ornate wallpaper, large oil portraits, and a chandelier, addressing a seated group of interdisciplinary participants around a long table. A presentation slide is displayed on a screen behind her.
Our workshop “Perspectives on Human Variation: Philosophy Meets Evolutionary Anthropology” has begun! @andrameneganzin.bsky.social opened by outlining the core problem space & the interdisciplinary links we aim to build to better understand human variation, past & present. #HPS #evobio #paleosky
The #PhilInBioMed Summer School has started!
Five days of exciting talks, big ideas, and fun crossovers between philosophy, biology, and medicine.
@philinbiomed.bsky.social
👉 www.philinbiomed.org/event/bordea...
#BSS2025 #Philosophy #Biology #Medicine #SummerSchool
Greetings from Bordeaux! Here, we will keep you updated on events, publications and everything else of interest for the PhilInBioMed-Community.
Extremely honored and happy to have attended this incredible conference—see you next year!
