21May 2025 by Post

Fact Check: New “Complete” Chimp Genome Shows 14.9 Percent Difference from Human Genome

ape genomes, bonobos, Bornean orangutans, chimpanzees, chimps, deletions, DNA, Evolution, gap difference, gap divergence, gene duplications, genomes, Gorilla gorilla, gorillas, human genome, Human Origins and Anthropology, humans, insertions, Kateryna Makova, National Center for Biotechnology Information, Nature (journal), order of magnitude, Pan paniscus, Pan troglodytes, Pongo abelii, Science Reporting, short nucleotide variations, siamangs, Smithsonian Institution, SNVs, Sumatran orangutans, Supplemental Data
I suspect that this radical finding has implications — for human exceptionalism and more — that people will be discussing for a long time. Source
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20May 2025 by Post

Bombshell: New Research Overturns Claim that Humans and Chimps Differ by Only 1 Percent of DNA

burying the lede, chimpanzees, common ancestry, David Klinghoffer, DNA, Evolution, gap difference, genomes, human exceptionalism, Human Origins and Anthropology, humans, Icons of Evolution, Jonathan Wells, Kevin Williamson, Museum of Natural History, National Review, Nature (journal), science journalism, Smithsonian Institution, statistics, Supplementary Data, zombies
This finding should be major news in the science world, yet those involved don’t seem interested in highlighting the discovery. Source
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13Mar 2025 by Post

PETA Sues NIH for Violating Its “First Amendment Right” to Talk to Monkeys

animal experiments, animals, chimpanzees, Culture & Ethics, Edward Taub, elephants, First Amendment, human suffering, illnesses, Ingrid Newkirk, journalists, National Institutes of Health, News Media, Nonhuman Rights Project, persons, PETA, Silver Spring Monkey Case, Society for Neuroscience, writ of habeas corpus
There is not one modern medical treatment or intervention that does not involve animal research at some point in the process. Source
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31Jan 2025 by Post

Science Writing Tries to Smash Human Exceptionalism

Africa, Amanda Richardson, animal behavior, antiquity, BBC News, Bronze Age, chimpanzees, Claire Asher, Côte D’Ivoire, Culture & Ethics, England, Homo sapiens, human exceptionalism, human mind, humans, Ice Age, Merlin, metal tools, monkeys, Neuroscience & Mind, New Stone Age, paleontology, polar bears, Royal BC Museum, Salisbury, Stone Age, stone tools, vultures, walruses
Stone tool use among animals versus the Stone Age provides a useful illustration of the tendency. Source
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07Dec 2024 by Post

Who (or What) First Used Tools?

abstract ideas, algae, birds, blanket octopus, chimpanzees, Christophe Boesch, crows, decorator crab, Egyptian vulture, Hedwige Boesch-Achermann, invertebrates, Jane Goodall, Lucy, Max Planck Institute, Neuroscience & Mind, octopus, orange-spotted tuskfish, ostrich eggs, otters, paleontology, Taï National Park, tools, Tracy L. Kivell, Tremoctopus violaceus
It’s not stone tool use that is exclusive to humans; vultures can do that too. It’s the ability to form abstract ideas. Source
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05Oct 2024 by Post

Is the Human Shoulder Badly Designed?

"poor design", anatomy, arthritis, automobile, biceps, biology, bursa, Cheddar News, chimpanzees, clavicle, collarbone, Columbia University, deltoid muscle, diet, DNA, Evolution, exercise, feces, flat tire, flexibility, forearm, hip joint, human body, Human Origins, human shoulder, humerus, Intelligent Design, muscle, Natalia Ryzak, posture, rotator cuff, scapula, shoulder, shoulder blade, shoulder problems, stability, storytelling, throwing, tornado, trapezius muscle, zoos
Watch an acrobat performing on the parallel bars. Or a baseball player pitching a fastball. Or an athlete swimming the butterfly. Source
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