Department of Evolutionary Anthropology
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Research
- Ape Behaviour and Ecology (APE)
- Comparative Communication and Cognition (CCCG)
- Evolutionary Cognition Group (ECG)
- Evolutionary Genetics Group (EGG)
- Human Evolutionary Ecology (HEE)
- Hominin Evolution Group (HEG)
- Human Evolutionary Ecophysiology (HEEP)
- Primate Reproductive Strategies and Socioendocrinology (PRSS)
- Primate Social Evolution (PSEG)
News
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Bonobos innovate, plan, and transmit tool use to solve an extractive foraging task
The study investigates the individual, social, and environmental factors shaping tool use in sanctuary-living bonobos, finding that tool use is influenced by developmental factors, exposure to others using tools, and tool availability. The findings highlight the importance of social-learning opportunities and developmental biases in ape tool use, offering insight into conditions that may also have supported the emergence of tool use during hominin evolution.
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Whole-Genome-Sequencing Reveals Demographic History and Patterns of Parallel Adaptive Evolution in Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) Across Coastal Australian Seascapes
How do dolphins adapt to vastly different environments? A genomic study of bottlenose dolphins around Australia reveals parallel adaptation to tropical waters and uncovers how evolution, environment, and demographic history shape marine populations.
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Identifying social learning through peering: predictions and recommendations
A new perspective article explores how “peering”, the sustained observation of conspecifics, can reveal social learning in animals. The proposed framework aims to strengthen research on culture, knowledge transmission, and cognitive evolution.