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Behavioral contagion is thought to play a significant role in social synchronization and coordination across animal taxa. While there is extensive evidence of behavioral contagion in Haplorrhines (i.e. monkeys and apes), limited research exists in Strepsirrhines (i.e. lemurs). Here, we aimed to investigate the presence of contagious yawning and scratching in two captive groups of black-and-white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata) (N = 4) and red ruffed lemurs (Varecia rubra) (N = 4), and further test whether behavioral contagion is modulated by the model's social integration in the group. We conducted all occurrence sampling to examine whether individuals observing a yawning or scratching event (i.e. trigger event) were more likely to yawn or scratch in the following 2 min, as compared to individuals who did not observe it. We ran generalized linear mixed models and found that the likelihood of yawning and scratching was higher for subjects observing the trigger event than for subjects who did not observe the event, although the model's social integration had no modulating effect on the probability of showing behavioral contagion. Our findings represent the first evidence of behavioral contagion in this genus and contribute to shed light on the distribution and the possible adaptive function of this phenomenon in primates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The component model of human parenting has been extensively used to study parents' interactions with their offspring and to examine variation across cultural contexts. The current study applies this model to nonhuman primates to investigate which forms of parenting humans share with other primates and how these interactions change over infants' first year of life. We repeatedly observed 52 mother-infant pairs, including humans (N = 11), chimpanzees and bonobos (N = 21), and several species of small apes (N = 20), during different daily activities when infants were 1, 6, and 12 months of age. Humans differed from apes in their higher probability of face-to-face contact and the use of object stimulation. Moreover, parenting seemed to be characterized by more variability within humans than within and possibly between ape species. Overall, the component model of parenting appears to be an effective tool to study the functional systems of parenting behavior in a comparative developmental perspective, by allowing direct comparisons between human and non-human primate species across development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent development of methods for constructing directly comparable white matter atlases in primate brains from diffusion MRI allows us to probe specializations unique to humans, great apes, and other primate taxa. Here, we constructed the first white matter atlas of a lesser ape using an ex vivo diffusion-weighted scan of a brain from a young adult (5.5 years) male lar gibbon. We find that white matter architecture of the gibbon temporal lobe suggests specializations that are reminiscent of those previously reported for great apes, specifically, the expansion of the arcuate fasciculus and the inferior longitudinal fasciculus in the temporal lobe. Our findings suggest these white matter expansions into the temporal lobe were present in the last common ancestor to hominoids approximately 16 million years ago and were further modified in the great ape and human lineages. White matter atlases provide a useful resource for identifying neuroanatomical differences and similarities between humans and other primate species and provide insight into the evolutionary variation and stasis of brain organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Similarities and differences in brain structure and function across species are of major interest in systems neuroscience, comparative biology, and brain mapping. Recently, increased emphasis has been placed on tertiary sulci, which are shallow indentations of the cerebral cortex that appear last in gestation, continue to develop after birth, and are largely either human or hominoid specific. While tertiary sulcal morphology in lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) has been linked to functional representations and cognition in humans, it is presently unknown if small and shallow LPFC sulci also exist in non-human hominoids. To fill this gap in knowledge, we leveraged two freely available multimodal datasets to address the following main question: Can small and shallow LPFC sulci be defined in chimpanzee cortical surfaces from human predictions of LPFC tertiary sulci? We found that 1–3 components of the posterior middle frontal sulcus (pmfs) in the posterior middle frontal gyrus are identifiable in nearly all chimpanzee hemispheres. In stark contrast to the consistency of the pmfs components, we could only identify components of the paraintermediate frontal sulcus (pimfs) in two chimpanzee hemispheres. Putative LPFC tertiary sulci were relatively smaller and shallower in chimpanzees compared to humans. In both species, two of the pmfs components were deeper in the right compared to the left hemisphere. As these results have direct implications for future studies interested in the functional and cognitive role of LPFC tertiary sulci, we share probabilistic predictions of the three pmfs components to guide the definitions of these sulci in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The vertebral column plays a central role in primate locomotion and positional behavior. Understanding its evolution, therefore, has the potential to clarify evolutionary processes that have occurred in the primate lineage as well as the specific behaviors of extinct primates. However, to understand primate vertebral anatomy, it is important to determine how much of this anatomy is heritable and how much develops as a response to environmental factors during life. We estimated heritability for vertebral counts as well as typical cervical, thoracic, and lumbar elements from 210 individuals from the pedigreed Cayo Santiago Macaca mulatta skeletal collection. We found moderate heritability of vertebral counts (h2 = 0.216–0.326), but with strong heritability of the type of variation (e.g., a tendency to meristic or homeotic change) in the vertebral count (h2 = 0.599), suggesting a possible explanation for high variability in vertebral numbers among the hominoids in particular. The moderate heritability of vertebral count also suggests that vertebral count is an unsuitable metric for estimating the ancestral state for some taxa. We found strong heritability in the morphology of cervical and upper lumbar zygapophyseal facets (h2 = 0.548–0.550) and the thoracic spinous processes (h2 = 0.609–0.761), including high heritability of the spinous process angle in the upper thoracic and upper lumbar elements (h2 = 0.649–0.752). We suggest these are related to maintaining stability in the cervical and lumbar regions, and reducing motion in the thoracic region, respectively. We propose that spinous processes may contain greater phylogenetic information, whereas transverse processes may contain greater information of function ‘in life’. We also found important size effects, suggesting that size is the most heritable component of overall form and largely responsible for intertrait differences. This suggests that it is inappropriate to indiscriminately remove size effects from morphological comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the Dotcoms to Watch session at Academic Publishing in Europe (APE) 2024. Five out of the seven selected startups that gave a brief presentation in the session expand upon their talks and reflect on their participation. They are Clear Skies, Global Campus, Ludenso, Signals and Visual Abstract. The startups address challenges faced by the scholarly publishing industry and deal with research integrity, identifying and combating papermills, peer reviewer identification and matchmaking, and graphical abstracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human otolithic system (utricle and saccule), housed within the bony vestibule of the inner ear, establishes our sense of balance in conjunction with the semicircular canals. Yet, while the morphological evolution of the semicircular canals is actively explored, comparative morphological analyses of the otolithic system are lacking. This is regrettable because functional links with head orientation suggest the otolithic system could be used to track postural change throughout human evolution and across primates more broadly. In this context, we present the first analysis of the evolution of the human otolithic system within an anthropoid primate setting. Using the vestibule as a morphological proxy for the utricle and saccule, we compare humans to 13 other extant anthropoid species, and use phylogenetically-informed methods to find correlations with body size, endocranial flexion, and head-neck posture. Our results, obtained through micro-CT of 136 inner ears, reveal two major evolutionary transitions in hominoids, leading to distinctive vestibular morphology in humans, characterized by otolithic morphology resembling squirrel monkeys (possibly due to reversal), with a pronounced supraovalic fossa. Finally, we find a positional signal embedded in the anthropoid bony vestibule, providing the foundation to further explore the evolution of human head-neck posture using inner ear morphology. Morphometric modeling reveals evolutionary divergences of the otolithic inner ear in humans and apes, with a possible link to the evolution of postural behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A common method for assessing blatant dehumanization asks participants to rate "how evolved" they think members of various social groups are using the Ascent of Human scale (AOH) that transitions in stages from a crawling ape to a fully upright modern human. However, little is known about how task instructions affect participant ratings. In this pre-registered study, participants saw alternative forms of instruction including the traditional instructions emphasizing "evolution", a prompt without any reference to evolution, and a prompt that clearly explained that the scale assesses dehumanization. Instruction type had no effect on dehumanization ratings on the AOH scale. These results support the idea that the AOH scale is a robust means of assessing blatant dehumanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The elbow of Nacholapithecus has been extensively described qualitatively, however its ulnar morphology has never been the focus of an in‐depth quantitative analysis before. Hence, our main aim is quantifying the proximal ulnar morphology in Nacholapithecus and exploring whether it is similar to those of Equatorius and Griphopithecus as previously reported. Materials and Methods: We compared Nacholapithecus proximal ulnar morphology with a sample of extant and extinct anthropoids through principal component analysis and agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis. Moreover, we calculated the Cophenetic Correlation Coefficient and checked for taxonomical group mean differences through MANOVA and pairwise post‐hoc comparisons, as well as the phylogenetic signal in the variables used. Results: The Nacholapithecus ulna displays a moderately long and relatively narrow olecranon, a relatively wide trochlear surface‐radial notch width, and a relatively thin sigmoid notch depth. These features resemble those of large papionins and chimpanzees, and some extinct taxa, mainly Equatorius. Discussion: Results presented here reinforce previous inferences on the functional morphology of the Nacholapithecus elbow, showing adaptations for general quadrupedal behaviors. However, other derived features (e.g., a relatively wide trochlear surface) might be associated with the ape‐like traits described for its distal humerus (e.g., wide trochlear groove), thus displaying a combination of primitive and derived features in the proximal ulna. Finally, affinities with large papionins could suggest the presence of some terrestrial habits in Nacholapithecus. However, the lack of evidence in the rest of the skeleton prevents us from suggesting terrestrial affinities in this taxon in a conclusive manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The background potential energy (BPE) is the only reservoir that double diffusive instabilities can tap their energy from when developing from an unforced motionless state with no available potential energy (APE). Recently, Middleton and Taylor linked the extraction of BPE into APE to the sign of the diapycnal component of the buoyancy flux, but their criterion can predict only diffusive convection instability, not salt finger instability. Here, we show that the problem can be corrected if the sign of the APE dissipation rate is used instead, making it emerge as the most fundamental criterion for double diffusive instabilities. A theory for the APE dissipation rate for a two-component fluid relative to its single-component counterpart is developed as a function of three parameters: the diffusivity ratio, the density ratio, and a spiciness parameter. The theory correctly predicts the occurrence of both salt finger and diffusive convection instabilities in the laminar unforced regime, while more generally predicting that the APE dissipation rate for a two-component fluid can be enhanced, suppressed, or even have the opposite sign compared to that for a single-component fluid, with important implications for the study of ocean mixing. Because negative APE dissipation can also occur in stably stratified single-component and doubly stable two-component stratified fluids, we speculate that only the thermodynamic theory of exergy can explain its physics; however, this necessitates accepting that APE dissipation is a conversion between APE and the internal energy component of BPE, in contrast to prevailing assumptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laura Feetham-Walker, Reviewer Engagement Manager at IOP Publishing, recently won the Academic Publishing in Europe (APE) Innovation award for invigorating the peer review process with the launch of the Peer Review Excellence programme, a comprehensive training and recognition programme, and introducing co-review and reviewer feedback. In this paper, we discuss how IOP Publishing has implemented these innovations and how they can future-proof a process that has served the academic community for centuries. We also discuss how some of these innovations have already proven effective in counteracting the peer review crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sesamoids are variably present skeletal elements found in tendons and ligaments near joints. Variability in sesamoid size, location and presence/absence is hypothesized to enable skeletal innovation, yet sesamoids are often ignored. Three knee sesamoids—the cyamella, medial fabella and lateral fabella—are present in primates, but we know little about how they evolved, if they are skeletal innovations, or why they are largely missing from Hominoidea. Our phylogenetic comparative analyses suggest that sesamoid presence/absence is highly phylogenetically structured and contains phylogenetic signal. Models suggest that it is easy to gain but difficult/impossible to lose knee sesamoids and that the fabellae may have similar developmental/evolutionary pathways that are distinct from the cyamella. Sesamoid presence/absence is uncorrelated to the mode of locomotion, suggesting that sesamoid biomechanical function may require information beyond sesamoid presence, such as size and location. Ancestral state reconstructions were largely uninformative but highlighted how reconstructions using parsimony can differ from those that are phylogenetically informed. Interestingly, there may be two ways to evolve fabellae, with humans evolving fabellae differently from most other primates. We hypothesize that the 're-emergence' of the lateral fabella in humans may be correlated with the evolution of a unique developmental pathway, potentially correlated with the evolution of straight-legged, bipedal locomotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing bone growth trajectories in mammals is crucial for understanding life history dynamics, but the quantification of bone growth in natural settings can be challenging. Bone resorption markers that can be measured in urine, such as C‐telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX‐I), offer a non‐invasive solution to assess bone growth. Although measurement of urinary CTX‐I levels has been applied extensively in human studies, its use in other species is so far limited to a few clinical studies. To validate urinary CTX‐I as a bone resorption marker under less controlled conditions, we investigated within‐individual day‐to‐day variation, diurnal patterns, and sex and age‐specific variation in zoo‐housed bonobos (Pan paniscus). We then also correlated urinary CTX‐I levels with forearm growth velocity measures. We found a day‐to‐day variability in urinary CTX‐I levels of around 25%, comparable to human variation. Diurnally, CTX‐I levels decreased, aligning with observations in humans and other species. Both sexes showed an age‐related decline in urinary CTX‐I levels, with a steady decrease after the age of 10 years. Additionally, we found a positive correlation between forearm growth velocity and urinary CTX‐I levels across age in female, but not in male, bonobos. Our results demonstrate that urinary CTX‐I levels are a meaningful measure of bone growth and highlight its potential to examine bone growth trajectories also in wild populations to investigate life history dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild animals are increasingly subjected to noisier environments as the scale and scope of human activities, such as development and resource extraction, encroach into their habitats. Anthropogenic noise alters the behaviour and vocalisations of wild animals including primates, yet our understanding of how noise affects small apes is limited. The large population of endangered northern yellow‐cheeked crested gibbons (Nomascus annamensis) inhabiting Veun Sai‐Siem Pang National Park (VSSP), in northeastern Cambodia, is frequently exposed to noise produced from illegal selective logging activities within the park. To determine the impacts of chainsaw noise on the gibbons' activity budgets and calling probability, we collected behavioural data on the only habituated gibbon group in VSSP during two consecutive dry seasons between 2017 and 2019. Our analyses of scan and focal‐animal samples revealed that when chainsaws were active, the group rested more and scanned less. The gibbons called more on mornings when there was no chainsaw activity; however, the trend was non‐significant. These findings suggest that despite long‐term exposure, chainsaw noise variably impacts important aspects of gibbon behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Striking similarities across ape gestural repertoires suggest shared phylogenetic origins that likely provided a foundation for the emergence of language. We pilot a novel approach for exploring possible semantic universals across human and nonhuman ape species. In a forced‐choice task, n = 300 participants watched 10 chimpanzee gesture forms performed by a human and chose from responses that paralleled inferred meanings for chimpanzee gestures. Participants agreed on a single meaning for nine gesture forms; in six of these the agreed form‐meaning pair response(s) matched those established for chimpanzees. Such shared understanding suggests apes' (including humans') gesturing shares deep evolutionary origins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important question about moral progress is what causes it. One of the most popular proposed mechanisms is moral reasoning: moral progress often happens because lots of people reason their way to improved moral beliefs. Authors who defend moral reasoning as a cause of moral progress have relied on two broad lines of argument: the general and the specific line. The general line presents evidence that moral reasoning is in general a powerful mechanism of moral belief change, while the specific line tries to establish that moral reasoning can explain specific historical examples of moral progress. In this paper, we examine these lines in detail, using Kumar and Campbell's (2022, A Better Ape: The Evolution of the Moral Mind and How It Made Us Human. Oxford University Press) model of rational moral progress to sharpen our focus. For each line, we explain the empirical assumptions it makes; we then argue that the available evidence supports none of these assumptions. We conclude that at this point, we have no idea if moral reasoning causes moral progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the relations between place, space and sound in the Swedish crossover novel The Murderer's Ape (2017 [2014]) by Jakob Wegelius. The novel is marked by its aesthetic and geographical richness and can be characterized as an adventure and detective novel where different sounds—and absence of sounds—are vital in the depiction of place. Departing from the field of literary geography, we map and analyze the novel's soundscape, i.e. the sonic environment in and the auditory experience of the text and discuss in which ways sound contributes to the novel's sense of place and how the reader is invited to construct storyworlds. Based on the sound analysis of The Murderer's Ape , we suggest five types of place-making sounds: sounds of orientation and suspense, projective sounds, plot-making places and their sounds, culture specific places and their sounds, and music sounds as, what we have termed, audiotopes. The article contributes to scholarship on Wegelius with an aesthetic oriented reading. Furthermore, by tuning in to the aural aspects of place we seek to provide a beginning framework for exploring soundscapes in narratives of children's literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incentives for efforts expended in peer review remain controversial, as one of us [https://www.morressier.com/o/event/655b8f316515150019d5f90b/sessions/6569ca7c8d0e640013427ec3?eventId=655b8f316515150019d5f90b] reported at the recent APE Meeting in Berlin 2024. Publishers and researchers have different views on if, and how, peer review should and could be rewarded. We surveyed researchers regularly performing peer review for journals as well as editors and journal managers who assign articles in order to look at the use of incentives and how these influence behavior. Incentives for peer review remain relatively rare overall: Results show that more than 80% of editorial board members said they ‘did not reward’ or ‘rewarded in less than 25% of cases’, while, at the same time, the same proportion of respondents felt that rewarding peer reviewers would be a good idea. The majority of our respondents felt that giving ‘something was better than nothing’ and that a token incentive would help. In terms of actual rewards, APC tokens are both wanted (52%) and awarded (42%) while certificates are given far more (43%) than they are actually wanted (12%). Surprisingly, money is given out far less (4%) than wanted (27%); this reward is not actually desired as much as one might expect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective X-ray photon-counting spectral imaging (x-CSI) detector design involves the optimisation of a wide range of parameters both regarding the sensor (e.g., material, thickness and pixel pitch) and electronics (e.g., signal-processing chain and count-triggering scheme). Our previous publications have looked at the role of pixel pitch, sensor thickness and a range of additive charge sharing correction algorithms (CSCAs), and in this work, we compare additive and subtractive CSCAs to identify the advantages and disadvantages. These CSCAs differ in their approach to dealing with charge sharing: additive approaches attempt to reconstruct the original event, whilst subtractive approaches discard the shared events. Each approach was simulated on data from a wide range of x-CSI detector designs (pixel pitches 100–600 µm, sensor thickness 1.5 mm) and X-ray fluxes (106–109 photons mm−2 s−1), and their performance was characterised in terms of absolute detection efficiency (ADE), absolute photopeak efficiency (APE), relative coincidence counts (RCC) and binned spectral efficiency (BSE). Differences between the two approaches were explained mechanistically in terms of the CSCA's effect on both charge sharing and pule pileup. At low X-ray fluxes, the two approaches perform similarly, but at higher fluxes, they differ in complex ways. Generally, additive CSCAs perform better on absolute metrics (ADE and APE), and subtractive CSCAs perform better on relative metrics (RCC and BSE). Which approach to use will, thus, depend on the expected operating flux and whether dose efficiency or spectral efficiency is more important for the application in mind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the PanAf20K dataset, the largest and most diverse open-access annotated video dataset of great apes in their natural environment. It comprises more than 7 million frames across ∼ 20,000 camera trap videos of chimpanzees and gorillas collected at 18 field sites in tropical Africa as part of the Pan African Programme: The Cultured Chimpanzee. The footage is accompanied by a rich set of annotations and benchmarks making it suitable for training and testing a variety of challenging and ecologically important computer vision tasks including ape detection and behaviour recognition. Furthering AI analysis of camera trap information is critical given the International Union for Conservation of Nature now lists all species in the great ape family as either Endangered or Critically Endangered. We hope the dataset can form a solid basis for engagement of the AI community to improve performance, efficiency, and result interpretation in order to support assessments of great ape presence, abundance, distribution, and behaviour and thereby aid conservation efforts. The dataset and code are available from the project website: PanAf20K [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report summarizes APE 2024 (Academic Publishing in Europe, 9–10 January 2024, Berlin, Germany), the 19th edition of the yearly conference bringing together stakeholders within the realm of scholarly publishing. This year’s conference, moderated by Brill’s Chief Publishing Officer Jasmin Lange, was themed ‘Keep the Conversation Going,’ and highlighted topics such as publishers contributing to the SDGs, research integrity, the pros and cons of AI, and open science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a long debate about the possibility of multiple contemporaneous species of Australopithecus in both eastern and southern Africa, potentially exhibiting different forms of bipedal locomotion. Here, we describe the previously unreported morphology of the os coxae in the 3.67 Ma Australopithecus prometheus StW 573 from Sterkfontein Member 2, comparing it with variation in ossa coxae in living humans and apes as well as other Plio‐Pleistocene hominins. Statistical comparisons indicate that StW 573 and 431 resemble humans in their anteroposteriorly great iliac crest breadth compared with many other early australopiths, whereas Homo ergaster KNM WT 15000 surprisingly also has a relatively anterioposteriorly short iliac crest. StW 573 and StW 431 appear to resemble humans in having a long ischium compared with Sts 14 and KNM WT 15000. A Quadratic Discriminant Function Analysis of morphology compared with other Plio‐Pleistocene hominins and a dataset of modern humans and hominoids shows that, while Lovejoy's heuristic model of the Ardipithecus ramidus os coxae falls with Pongo or in an indeterminate group, StW 573 and StW 431 from Sterkfontein Member 4 are consistently classified together with modern humans. Although clearly exhibiting the classic “basin shaped” bipedal pelvis, Sts 14 (also from Sterkfontein), AL 288‐1 Australopithecus afarensis, MH2 Australopithecus sediba and KNM‐WT 15000 occupy a position more peripheral to modern humans, and in some analyses are assigned to an indeterminate outlying group. Our findings strongly support the existence of two species of Australopithecus at Sterkfontein and the variation we observe in os coxae morphology in early hominins is also likely to reflect multiple forms of bipedality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Low‐energy vertebral fractures are a common health concern, especially in elderly people. Interestingly, African apes do not seem to experience as many vertebral fractures and the low‐energy ones are even rarer. One potential explanation for this difference is the lower bone density in humans. Yet, only limited research has been done on the vertebral bone density of the great apes and these have mainly included only single vertebrae. Hence the study aim is to expand our understanding of the vertebral microstructure of African apes in multiple spinal segments. Materials: Bone density in the vertebral body of C7, T12, and L3 was measured from 32 Pan troglodytes and 26 Gorilla gorilla using peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT). Results: There was a clear difference between the three individual vertebrae and consequently the spinal segments in terms of trabecular density and cortical density and thickness. The variation of these bone parameters between the vertebrae differed between the apes but was also different from those reported for humans. The chimpanzees were observed to have overall higher trabecular density, but gorillas had higher cortical density and thickness. Cortical thickness had a relatively strong association with the vertebral size. Discussion: Despite the similarity in locomotion and posture, the results show slight differences in the bone parameters and their variation between spinal segments in African apes. This variation also differs from humans and appears to indicate a complex influence of locomotion, posture, and body size on the different spinal segments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolutionary relationships among Plasmodium vivax in humans, P. vivax -like parasites in African apes, and other related parasites infecting non-human primates indicate that P. vivax originated in Africa, and can explain why the human parasites exhibit much less genetic diversity. The geographic origin of P. vivax provides an explanation for the emergence of the Duffy-negative mutation among humans in Africa. The recent discovery that P. vivax can invade erythroid precursor cells of Duffy-negative humans suggests that remnants of an ancient P. vivax lineage that infected both humans and apes before the spread of the Duffy-negative mutation may still circulate in Africa. A more extensive characterization of P. vivax in Duffy-negative individuals, focusing in particular on parasites sequestered in hematopoietic tissues, is urgently needed. The geographic origin of Plasmodium vivax , a leading cause of human malaria, has been the subject of much speculation. Here we review the evolutionary history of P. vivax and P. vivax -like parasites in humans and non-human primates on three continents, providing overwhelming evidence for an African origin. This conclusion is consistent with recent reports showing that Duffy-negative humans in Africa are, in fact, susceptible to P. vivax , with parasites invading Duffy-antigen-expressing erythroid precursors. Thus, the African origin of P. vivax not only explains the distribution of the Duffy-negative genotype but also provides new insight into the history and status of P. vivax malaria in Africa and efforts geared toward its eradication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural scale management is an important means of improving agricultural production efficiency. To answer the controversy over whether different agricultural scale management models can improve production efficiency, this paper obtained 117,627 samples from 68 domestic and foreign literature and used meta-analysis to study the effects of land-scale operation (LSO) and service-scale operation (SSO) on agricultural production efficiency (APE). The moderators that affect the relationship between LSO, SSO, and APE are also examined. The research results show that (1) both LSO and SSO positively impact production efficiency, but LSO has a stronger impact. (2) The relationship between LSO and APE is positively regulated by the agricultural production and operation environment, characteristics of the agricultural location, degree of farmers' participation, and types of APE, and negatively regulated by the research situation. (3) The relationship between SSO and APE is negatively regulated by APE types and data types. Therefore, the government should promote agricultural dual-scale operation according to the local conditions through the complementary advantages of LSO and SSO, so as to fully release the promotion potential of APE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The known diversity of European middle and late Miocene hominids has increased significantly during the last decades. Most of these great apes were frugivores in the broadest sense, ranging from soft fruit frugivores most like chimpanzees to hard/tough object feeders like orangutans, varying in size from larger than siamangs (over 17 kg) to larger than most chimpanzees (~60–70 kg). In contrast to the frequent sympatry of hominoids in the early-to-middle Miocene of Africa, in no European Miocene locality more than one hominid taxon has been identified. Here we describe the first case of hominid sympatry in Europe from the 11.62 Ma old Hammerschmiede HAM 5 level, best known from its excellent record of Danuvius guggenmosi. The new fossils are consistent in size with larger pliopithecoids but differ morphologically from any pliopithecoid and from Danuvius. They are also distinguished from early and middle Miocene apes, share affinities with late Miocene apes, and represent a small hitherto unknown late Miocene ape Buronius manfredschmidi. With an estimated body mass of about 10 kg it represents the smallest known hominid taxon. The relative enamel thickness of Buronius is thin and contrasts with Danuvius, whose enamel is twice as thick. The differences between Buronius and Danuvius in tooth and patellar morphology, enamel thickness and body mass are indicative of differing adaptations in each, permitting resource partitioning, in which Buronius was a more folivorous climber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extensor digitorum profundus complex underwent degeneration of the ulnar segments during primate adaptation and evolution. This process resulted in the preservation of only the extensor pollicis longus and extensor indicis in some apes, including humans. Consequently, anatomical variations within the digitorum profundus complex in modern humans have been well-documented, with detailed reports on their frequency and patterns in previous studies. Here, we report an unusual arrangement involving two anomalies in the extensor digitorum profundus complex, identified in a 66-year-old Japanese male cadaver. In this cadaver, two accessory muscles differentiated from both the extensor pollicis longus and extensor indicis. Notably, the latter muscle featured a tendon bifurcating towards both the thumb and index fingers, referred to as the extensor pollicis et indicis communis. Under the extensor retinaculum, the tendon of the accessory extensor pollicis longus passed through an independent compartment, whereas that of the extensor pollicis et indicis communis traversed a compartment shared by the extensor indicis and the extensor digitorum communis. Both muscles were innervated by the posterior interosseous nerve. Previous studies have reported that the accessory slip of the extensor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis et indicis communis appear at frequencies of 0.6% and 0.4–1.4%, respectively. However, to the best of our knowledge, a configuration in which both appear simultaneously has not been reported. The data from this case could provide essential insights into the variations in the extensor digitorum profundus complex in humans and non-human primates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African apes are humans' closest evolutionary relatives, yet their fossil record is almost nonexistent. Genomics shows that, despite the fact that African ape lineages originated 6–12 million years ago (Ma), the diversity within the living species is very young (<1 Ma), similar in age to the diversity of recent hominin species, such as modern humans and Neanderthals. The hominin fossil record shows deeper and greater diversity compared with that of the African apes, suggesting that, across hominine evolution, they must have experienced a high rate of extinction, with repeated replacements and dispersals. Recent genomic studies also suggest that African apes had higher levels of diversification in earlier periods, and it is likely that a high rate of extinction and replacement occurred. This raises questions about the last common ancestor, the conditions under which apes evolved, and the adaptive and dispersive nature of the current species. We are accustomed to regular announcements of new hominin fossils. There are now some 6000 hominin fossils, and up to 31 species. However, where are the announcements of African ape fossils? The answer is that there are almost none. Our knowledge of African ape evolution is based entirely on genomic analyses, which show that extant diversity is very young. This contrasts with the extensive and deep diversity of hominins known from fossils. Does this difference point to low and late diversification of ape lineages, or high rates of extinction? The comparative evolutionary dynamics of African hominids are central to interpreting living ape adaptations, as well as understanding the patterns of hominin evolution and the nature of the last common ancestor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three male Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) were given the opportunity to select their own or conspecific photos on a touchscreen to indicate whether they wished the experimenter to deliver a food reward only to them or to them and the selected conspecific(s). This is only the second symbolic test of prosocial preferences with apes using a touchscreen, and the first with gorillas. The use of self and other photographs as symbols of prosocial choices was intuitive while controlling for the distraction of visible food rewards, and allowing for tests of transfer to further validate apparent prosocial intentions. Gorillas rapidly learned to avoid selecting a photograph of an empty enclosure that resulted in no rewards for any of the gorillas and transferred this learning to a novel photograph. The gorillas did not behave in a consistently self‐interested or prosocial manner but they clearly rejected the opportunity to choose spitefully. Their preferences for certain photographs did not necessarily reflect a preference to be prosocial toward that particular individual because these preferences did not transfer to novel photographs of the same individuals. The results call into question whether gorillas recognize themselves and conspecifics in photographs but cannot conclusively speak to whether gorillas have prosocial preferences. They do stress the importance of carefully probing alternative explanations when inferring intentions from observable behaviors. Highlights: This is the first study of prosocial preferences where subjects selected photographs of recipients on a touchscreen.Gorillas did not make primarily self‐interested or spiteful choices but they did not make consistently prosocial choices.Gorillas had preferences for particular photographs but preferences to reward particular recipients did not transfer across photographs.Gorillas may not have recognized their own images in photographs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Midfacial morphology varies between hominoids, in particular between great apes and humans for which the face is small and retracted. The underlying developmental processes for these morphological differences are still largely unknown. Here, we investigate the cellular mechanism of maxillary development (bone modelling, BM), and how potential changes in this process may have shaped facial evolution. We analysed cross-sectional developmental series of gibbons, orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees and present-day humans (n = 183). Individuals were organized into five age groups according to their dental development. To visualize each species's BM pattern and corresponding morphology during ontogeny, maps based on microscopic data were mapped onto species-specific age group average shapes obtained using geometric morphometrics. The amount of bone resorption was quantified and compared between species. Great apes share a highly similar BM pattern, whereas gibbons have a distinctive resorption pattern. This suggests a change in cellular activity on the hominid branch. Humans possess most of the great ape pattern, but bone resorption is high in the canine area from birth on, suggesting a key role of canine reduction in facial evolution. We also observed that humans have high levels of bone resorption during childhood, a feature not shared with other apes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to their closest ape relatives, humans walk bipedally with lower metabolic cost (C) and less mechanical work to move their body center of mass (external mechanical work, WEXT). However, differences in WEXT are not large enough to explain the observed lower C: humans may also do less work to move limbs relative to their body center of mass (internal kinetic mechanical work, WINT,k). From published data, we estimated differences in WINT,k, total mechanical work (WTOT), and efficiency between humans and chimpanzees walking bipedally. Estimated WINT,k is ~ 60% lower in humans due to changes in limb mass distribution, lower stride frequency and duty factor. When summing WINT,k to WEXT, between-species differences in efficiency are smaller than those in C; variations in WTOT correlate with between-species, but not within-species, differences in C. These results partially support the hypothesis that the low cost of human walking is due to the concerted low WINT,k and WEXT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In primates, high-acuity vision is mediated by the fovea, a small specialized central region of the retina. The fovea, unique to the anthropoid lineage among mammals, undergoes notable neuronal morphological changes during postnatal maturation. However, the extent of cellular similarity across anthropoid foveas and the molecular underpinnings of foveal maturation remain unclear. Here, we used high-throughput single-cell RNA sequencing to profile retinal cells of the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus), an early divergent in anthropoid evolution from humans, apes, and macaques. We generated atlases of the marmoset fovea and peripheral retina for both neonates and adults. Our comparative analysis revealed that marmosets share almost all their foveal types with both humans and macaques, highlighting a conserved cellular structure among primate foveas. Furthermore, by tracing the developmental trajectory of cell types in the foveal and peripheral retina, we found distinct maturation paths for each. In-depth analysis of gene expression differences demonstrated that cone photoreceptors and Müller glia (MG), among others, show the greatest molecular divergence between these two regions. Utilizing single-cell ATAC-seq and gene-regulatory network inference, we uncovered distinct transcriptional regulations differentiating foveal cones from their peripheral counterparts. Further analysis of predicted ligand-receptor interactions suggested a potential role for MG in supporting the maturation of foveal cones. Together, these results provide valuable insights into foveal development, structure, and evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hip-worn accelerometers are commonly used to assess habitual physical activity, but their accuracy in precisely measuring sedentary behavior (SB) is generally considered low. The angle for postural estimation (APE) method has shown promising accuracy in SB measurement. This method relies on the constant nature of Earth's gravity and the assumption that walking posture is typically upright. This study investigated how cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and body mass index (BMI) are related to APE output. A total of 3475 participants with adequate accelerometer wear time were categorized into three groups according to CRF or BMI. Participants in low CRF and high BMI groups spent more time in reclining and lying postures (APE ≥ 30°) and less time in sitting and standing postures (APE < 30°) than the other groups. Furthermore, the strongest partial Spearman correlation with CRF (r = 0.284) and BMI (r = −0.320) was observed for APE values typical for standing. The findings underscore the utility of the APE method in studying associations between SB and health outcomes. Importantly, this study emphasizes the necessity of reserving the term "sedentary behavior" for studies wherein the classification of SB is based on both intensity and posture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imitation is a social learning mechanism in humans but its relevance in nonhuman primates is controversial. Studies have suggested that some ape species, such chimpanzees and orangutans, may be able to imitate. However, records of true imitation in gorillas are scarce. This study was designed to evaluate the imitation ability of two female western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) by using the "do as I do" method, after 15 months of training. For the final evaluation, we tested the gorillas with 52 novel actions classified in four categories (Gestures, Object, Object-Object, and Object-Subject). To assess the difficulty of the novel actions, the lead researcher and two independent observers scored the responses from 0 to 3 based on how well they were done. During the training period, the two gorillas obtained similar success rates for imitation. During the evaluation, they achieved true imitation in 46% of transparent actions and 58% of the opaque actions. We identified "Gestures" as the easiest actions for one gorilla and "Object-Subject" for the other. "Object-Object" were the most difficult actions for both gorillas. Our findings show that female western lowland gorillas can imitate after a training period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examining manual lateralization (handedness) in nonhuman primates might be an interesting approach to gaining insight into the evolution of asymmetry in humans. Moreover, handedness could also reflect the effect of environmental alterations on the free-ranging animals that are forced to live with anthropogenic interferences. Despite addressing the handedness among monkeys and apes, only a few studies have focused on these free-ranging urban-adapted nonhuman primates, which could challenge our perception of habitat loss and deforestation. Here, we conducted experimental trials with two tasks, one unimanual (simple reaching) and one bimanual (tube task) to explore manual lateralization in a highly human-provisioned group of free-ranging Hanuman langurs. Experimental outcomes revealed an asymmetrical hand use distribution, with a bias towards the left hand. As bimanual tasks elicited a higher degree of lateralization, these tasks seem to be more suited to study manual laterality, and our results also highlight the significance of experimental tasks in establishing hand preference in langurs. This study also reveals that such lateralization developed with age as adults distinctly displayed their preference towards left-hand usage in contrast to juveniles and subadults which used both hands comparably. Mostly considered to be arboreal, the langurs of our study group spend a considerable amount of time with humans on the ground, thereby showing a terrestrial tendency. Postural origin theory states that terrestrial animals tend to use their right hand and arboreal ones their left. Therefore, the presence of a group level left-hand bias in the adult langurs of Dakshineswar creates a dilemma for this theory. • Hand preference was studied in human-provisioned, free-ranging Hanuman langurs. • Experiments were done using a combination of unimanual and bimanual tasks. • A group level asymmetry was observed in adults with a bias towards the left hand. • Lateralization developed with age, with adults preferring to use the left hand. • Left-hand bias in this terrestrial group disagrees with the postural origin theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigations into the role of selection in the origin of human bipedalism using ape models have relied heavily on behavioral frequency data. However, analysis of video of wild apes has the advantage of capturing the details of the entirety of each rare, brief bipedal bout witnessed, not just the moment detected in observational studies. We used video to explore the behavioral context and effects of several variables on bipedalism across all ages in wild forest-dwelling chimpanzees from Ngogo, Uganda. We found, as in earlier studies, that adult chimpanzees used bipedalism in the context of foraging; however, unlike earlier studies, we found that while foraging was the predominant behavioral context during arboreal bipedalism, terrestrial bipedalism was more varied in contextual composition. We also found that these different behavioral contexts of bipedalism were associated with different variables. Specifically, foraging was associated with arboreality, hand assistance, and adulthood; antagonism was associated with adulthood, locomotion, and males; play was associated with terrestriality and subadulthood; and travel was associated with locomotion and females. Given that several variables influence bipedalism across multiple behavioral contexts in chimpanzees, it is likely that the early evolution of human bipedalism occurred under the influence of numerous factors. This exploratory study thus suggests that more comprehensive models should be used when reconstructing the transition to bipedalism from the Last Common Ancestor of humans and chimpanzees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In detailing the cultural techniques required for his behavioral transition from ape to human following capture, Franz Kafka's Rotpeter addresses not just physical but also cultural differences between apes and humans. The report can be interpreted as a satirical allegory of Jewish assimilation, a commentary that echoes Jay Geller's notion of the "hierarchical differentiations that characterize antisemitism" (26). Although clothed, Rotpeter retains an ape's body while exhibiting human behavior and thought patterns. The narrative implies that Rotpeter's evolution entails cultural techniques of both domestication and hominization, rendering him neither wholly ape nor entirely human. This liminality leads Rotpeter to retroactively fetishize himself as a difference-embodying object while concurrently turning himself into a difference-encountering subject. The blurring of lines between the subject and object positions in Rotpeter's subjectivity encapsulates the inherent ambiguity at the core of both abjection and Jewish assimilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scientific portrayal of apes at the turn of the twentieth century functioned as a rich space to probe the border between humans and the nonhuman world and to rethink the tenets of evolution. To take up these themes, Nicaraguan author Hernán Robleto (1895-1968), whose theatrical and narrative work was otherwise characterized by a costumbrista realist style, turned to the speculative genres of science fiction and fantasy in his novel Una mujer en la selva (1936). Inspired by the jungle adventure fantasies of Edgar Rice Burroughs and by the hit Hollywood film King Kong (1933), Robleto's novel offers a surprising fable about a ladina woman who falls in love with a giant ape in Nicaragua's jungled Atlantic coast. The erotic interspecies encounter is ontologically transformative; after the death of her primate lover, the protagonist becomes a legendary ape woman who haunts the social body. Allegorically, the novel deploys the giant ape as a stand-in for the marginalized Afro-descendant peoples of Nicaragua's east coast. The problematic collapse of blackness into the figure of the ape underscores how ladino writers like Robleto struggled to write about Afro-Indigenous populations in realist terms. The abstraction of blackness into the figure of the ape is a racist reification of Black animality, but at the same time, the fantastical interspecies romance in Robleto's novel tentatively advocates for a non-normative model of national coupling grounded in the Atlantic coast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is a review of the book "Stuff: Humanity's Epic Journey from Naked Ape to Nonstop Shopper" by Chip Colwell. The book explores the history of human interaction with material culture and our relationship with "stuff." It discusses the evolution of toolmaking, the emergence of art and religion, and the rise of consumerism. The author examines how our dependence on material possessions has shaped our society and raises questions about the future of our relationship with "stuff." The review praises the book for its comprehensive approach but notes that it lacks discussion on certain perspectives and the role of museums in addressing overconsumption. [Extracted from the article]

Despite zoonotic potential, data are lacking on enteric infection diversity in wild apes. We employed a novel molecular diagnostic platform to detect enteric infections in wild chimpanzees and gorillas. Prevalent Cryptosporidium parvum, adenovirus, and diarrheagenic Escherichia coli across divergent sites and species demonstrates potential widespread circulation among apes in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The positional repertoire of the human‐chimpanzee last common ancestor is critical for reconstructing the evolution of bipedalism. African apes and humans share a heel strike plantigrade foot posture associated with terrestriality. Previous research has established that modern humans have a relatively large and intrinsically robust calcaneal tuber equipped to withstand heel strike forces associated with bipedal walking and running. However, it is unclear whether African apes have a relatively larger calcaneal tuber than non‐heel‐striking primates, and how this trait might have evolved among anthropoids. Here, I test the hypothesis that heel‐striking primates have a relatively larger calcaneal tuber than non‐heel‐striking primates. Methods: The comparative sample includes 331 individuals and 53 taxa representing hominoids, cercopithecoids, and platyrrhines. Evolutionary modeling was used to test for the effect of foot posture on the relative size of the calcaneal tuber in a phylogenetic framework that accounts for adaptation and inertia. Bayesian evolutionary modeling was used to identify selective regime shifts in the relative size of the calcaneal tuber among anthropoids. Results: The best fitting evolutionary model was a Brownian motion model with regime‐dependent trends characterized by relatively large calcaneal tubers among African apes and humans. Evolutionary modeling provided support for an evolutionary shift toward a larger calcaneal tuber at the base of the African ape and human clade. Conclusions: The results of this study support the view that African apes and humans share derived traits related to heel strike plantigrady, which implies that humans evolved from a semi‐terrestrial quadrupedal ancestor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]