Primates

Apes Were Kissing Millions of Years Before Humans, Study Suggests

Smooching might be a familiar behavior, but it's more mysterious than you would probably imagine.

Biology Margherita Bassi Nov 18

Capuchins Are Abducting Baby Howler Monkeys in Strange, Deadly New Trend

A capuchin named Joker started the apparent trend, leading researchers to suspect "there was something a little quirky about him, or that he was kind of lonely in a way.”

Biology Ellyn Lapointe May 21

The Saga of South Carolina’s Escaped Lab Monkeys Isn’t Over Yet

"AVOID FLYING DRONES" in the area, local police warned, after a UAV apparently spooked the primates and disrupted capture efforts.

Biology Harri Weber Nov 11

Mysterious Monkey Mayhem: Macaques Are Suddenly Terrorizing People in Southwestern Japan

There've been at least 58 attacks on people since July 8. It's so bad that the city of Yamaguchi has created a special unit to hunt and tranquilize the animals.

Tech News Lauren Leffer Jul 27

A Year After Returning to the Jungle, Alba the Albino Orangutan Is Alive and Well

Good news! Conservationists at a national park in Borneo have provided new details about Alba, the world’s only known albino orangutan, more than a year after she was released back into the wild. Not only is Alba still alive—she’s thriving. Back in February of this year, conservationists from the Borneo Orangutan Survival foundation (BOSF) released…

Biology George Dvorsky Mar 4

Zoo Chimps Doing a ‘Conga Line’ Could Teach Us How Humans Evolved to Dance

A seemingly spontaneous conga line by a pair of captive chimpanzees might tell us something about how humans first learned to dance, scientists behind a new study say. For years, visitors to the Saint Louis Zoo occasionally spotted and filmed a perplexing display from two closely bonded female chimpanzees named Holly and Bahkahri: They would…

Biology Ed Cara Dec 13

Aye-Ayes Have Been Hiding a Secret Sixth Finger This Whole Time

Aye-ayes are among the strangest primates on Earth, with their oversized ears, spider-like hands, and—as new research shows—a previously undetected sixth finger. Five fingers per hand tends to be the norm in the animal kingdom, but scientists have documented several cases in which organisms feature a sixth finger, an anatomical quirk known as an “accessory…

Biology George Dvorsky Oct 22

Scientists Went to China to Create Controversial Human-Monkey Embryos

An international collaboration is claiming to have created hybridized human-monkey embryos in China. Disturbingly, the research could result in monkeys capable of producing human organs for transplants, leading to a host of ethical concerns. A researcher involved in the experiment, biologist Estrella Núñez from the Catholic University of Murcia (UCAM), confirmed the achievement to Spanish…

Health George Dvorsky Aug 2

Confronted by Drones, Monkeys Warn Comrades of Incoming ‘Eagle’

Researchers in Senegal recently flew drones in the vicinity of green monkeys to see how the primates might respond. Incredibly, the monkeys produced an instinctual alarm call consistent with an eagle sighting. Kinda makes sense—except for the fact that green monkeys aren’t threatened by eagles. New research published yesterday in Nature Ecology and Evolution is…

Biology George Dvorsky May 28

Bounty Hunters, Monkey Clones, and the Green New Deal: Best Gizmodo Stories of the Week

January 2019 is nearly over and—for now—so is the month-plus federal government shutdown that blanketed national parks in filth and destruction, played with disturbing consequences for the nationwide “air safety environment,” threw off disaster preparation efforts, broke federal websites, and disrupted scientific conferences. But just like an illegal Airbnb, the shutdown may come back in…

Tech News Tom McKay Jan 27

Mysterious Origin of Extinct Jamaican Monkey Solved With DNA Testing

For nearly 100 years, scientists haven’t been able to agree on the evolutionary origins of a strange, now-extinct monkey that lived and thrived in Jamaica for thousands of years. New research suggests its ancestors arrived from South America, and that life on this tropical island caused the species to acquire its odd set of features.…

Biology George Dvorsky Nov 13

Primate Relationships Are Messier Than We Thought, New Research Suggests

When it comes to figuring out which individual among a group of primates is the most dominant, some scientists simply look for the one that’s being the most assertive or aggressive. New research suggests this approach grossly underestimates the social complexity of nonhuman primates, and that there’s more to social dominance than being a bully.…

Biology George Dvorsky Sep 18

Toddlers and Chimpanzees Share a Surprising Unspoken Language

Prior to developing the capacity for speech, toddlers communicate their desires, demands, and discontent using a diverse repertoire of physical gestures. As a new study shows, there’s a significant amount of overlap between the gestures employed by human children and those made by other ape species, a finding that’s casting new light on the origin…

Biology George Dvorsky Sep 11

Here’s How an Absurd Primate Ended Up With Squirrel Teeth

The aye-aye is about as ridiculous looking as a primate can get: beady yellow eyes, bat-like ears, and hands like horrible spiders. But perhaps its most interesting feature is its teeth. Over millions of years, species on Earth have developed seemingly unique adaptations that help them survive in challenging environments. But sometimes, totally different species…

Biology Ryan F. Mandelbaum Aug 3

Scientists Have Finally Figured Out Why Chimps Are So Damn Strong

Humans may have big, bulbous brains, but when it comes to pure muscle power, we’re often considered the weakest of the great apes. Even chimpanzees, who are significantly smaller than us, exhibit levels of strength that are practically super-human by our standards. New research shows the degree to which our primate cousins are stronger than…

Biology George Dvorsky Jun 26

Monkeys Learn to Pass a Classic Test For Self-Awareness

The ability to look into a mirror and recognize oneself is a cognitive skill we all take for granted, but very few animals outside of humans are able to do it. New research shows that monkeys can be trained to pass the so-called “mirror test,” suggesting that more species may be self-aware than previously thought.…

Tech News George Dvorsky Feb 13

This Simulation of a Monkey Speaking Is the Stuff of Nightmares

New research shows that macaques have a vocal tract capable of emitting human-like speech, but they lack the brain circuitry to make words happen. That may be a good thing, because their simulated speech is creepy as hell. For nearly four decades, scientists have thought that the inability of nonhuman primates to produce human speech…

Tech News George Dvorsky Dec 9

This Freaky-Ass Primate Likes to Get Wasted as Much as You Do

Humans may be more closely related to great apes, but according to science, our true spirit animals are aye-ayes. These Gollum-eyed lemurs like to skulk about in the forest getting liquored until the sun comes up. Wow, same! Alcohol is found naturally in fermented nectars, honeys, and fruits, but the enjoyment of this liver-destroying toxin…

Biology Maddie Stone Jul 20

Zoos Suck For Both Animals and Humans

The backlash has been vicious since zookeepers killed a gorilla named Harambe in order to protect a boy who fell into its enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo. Now, police are investigating the parents in a misguided effort to administer blame, but one thing is more clear than ever: Zoos are awful places for animals to…

Tech News George Dvorsky Jun 1

How Did This Escaped Chimp Not Get Zapped Into Oblivion?

In a scene eerily reminiscent of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, an escaped chimpanzee sought refuge on the power lines of a Japanese suburb. The chimp was eventually subdued after a frantic two-hour police chase, but you have to wonder: Why didn’t he get zapped by the power lines? Here’s the answer. The…

Tech News George Dvorsky Apr 14

Primates

Apes Were Kissing Millions of Years Before Humans, Study Suggests

Capuchins Are Abducting Baby Howler Monkeys in Strange, Deadly New Trend

The Saga of South Carolina’s Escaped Lab Monkeys Isn’t Over Yet

Mysterious Monkey Mayhem: Macaques Are Suddenly Terrorizing People in Southwestern Japan

A Year After Returning to the Jungle, Alba the Albino Orangutan Is Alive and Well

Zoo Chimps Doing a ‘Conga Line’ Could Teach Us How Humans Evolved to Dance

Aye-Ayes Have Been Hiding a Secret Sixth Finger This Whole Time

Scientists Went to China to Create Controversial Human-Monkey Embryos

Confronted by Drones, Monkeys Warn Comrades of Incoming ‘Eagle’

Bounty Hunters, Monkey Clones, and the Green New Deal: Best Gizmodo Stories of the Week

Mysterious Origin of Extinct Jamaican Monkey Solved With DNA Testing

Primate Relationships Are Messier Than We Thought, New Research Suggests

Toddlers and Chimpanzees Share a Surprising Unspoken Language

Here’s How an Absurd Primate Ended Up With Squirrel Teeth

Scientists Have Finally Figured Out Why Chimps Are So Damn Strong

Monkeys Learn to Pass a Classic Test For Self-Awareness

This Simulation of a Monkey Speaking Is the Stuff of Nightmares

This Freaky-Ass Primate Likes to Get Wasted as Much as You Do

Zoos Suck For Both Animals and Humans

How Did This Escaped Chimp Not Get Zapped Into Oblivion?

Crypto Project Details Alleged 6-Month North Korean Intel Op Behind $285 Million Hack

Crypto Investment Scams Were the Most Costly Type of Fraud in the U.S. in 2025

This $1.78/mo VPN Shouldn’t Be This Good: Surfshark’s Deal That Feels Illegal

Dropbox Is a Joke: Get pCloud Family at $1,550 Off With Free Password Manager

Someone Finally Took a Good iPhone Photo of the Moon. Good Luck Copying Their Trick

In Letter, OpenAI Reportedly Says Elon Musk and Meta Are Coordinating ‘Attacks’ Against It

Artemis 2 Day 6: Follow the Mission With Our Live Updates 🔴

Anonymous Sources Detail Sam Altman’s Alleged Untrustworthiness in New Report

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Let us help find what you are looking for...