Through the work of Professor Thomas Struhsaker (Evolutionary Anthropology) and Craig Breaden (Duke Libraries), five old films about primate behavior, ecology, and conservation have been converted to a digital format. The films, which range in release date from the 1960s to the early 2000s, can be accessed free of charge at Dr. Struhsaker's archive at https://archive.org/search.php?query=thomas%20struhsaker. A brief synopsis of each film can be found below: 1) Behavior and ecology of vervet monkeys (… read more about Primate behavior, ecology, and conservation films »
The Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University invites applications for two three-year post-doctoral positions at the Assistant Research Professor level to begin in July of 2018. Each post-doc will contribute to the department’s teaching mission by teaching two courses each semester, and each is also expected to be active in research. Teaching and research will be supported in part through mentoring by senior faculty members. Consideration will be given to applicants in all areas of Evolutionary… read more about Evolutionary Anthropology Post-Doctoral Teaching and Research Position »
Brandon Semel (EvAnth '13) was recently awarded funding for conservation work with lemurs read more about EvAnth Alum awarded lemur conservation grant »
Kyle Smith ('16) quoted in news article on dogs and mail carriers. read more about EvAnth Alum in the news »
The Boyer lab's MorphoSource is an international resource for sharing data. Undergraduates have also been able to make use of this valuable database. read more about Building a Virtual Ark for Lemurs »
The 2016 Faculty Scholars: Indrani Saha, Meghana Rao and Yilun Zhou. Many Duke undergraduates have found excitement in an original research project. Junior Meghana Rao has taken her research one step further and connected it in a socially meaningful way to problems right here in Durham. Rao is conducting research on the gut microbiome of long-tailed macaques, attempting to see how changes in diet and social status affect the trillion of microbes inside the primates. Evolutionary Anthropology Assistant Professor… read more about Three Juniors Honored With Faculty Scholars Award »
Humans aren’t alone in their ability to mix perfumes and colognes. Lemurs, too, get more out of their smelly secretions by combining fragrances to create richer, longer-lasting scents, finds a study led by Duke University.The results appear online April 20 in Royal Society Open Science.The “perfume” of the ring-tailed lemur could never be confused with Chanel. Male ring-tailed lemurs, our distant primate cousins, produce their distinctive musky odor with help from a pair of glands on their wrists that give off droplets of… read more about Lemurs Mix Smelly Secretions to Make Richer, Longer-Lasting Scents »
The bearcat. The binturong. Whatever you call this shy, shaggy-haired creature from Southeast Asia, many people who have met one notice the same thing: it smells like a movie theater snack bar.Most describe it as hot buttered popcorn. And for good reason -- the chemical compound that gives freshly made popcorn its mouthwatering smell is also the major aroma emitted by binturong pee, finds a new study.Most people have never heard of a binturong, let alone caught a whiff of one up close. But for many zookeepers, the… read more about Why Bearcats Smell Like Buttered Popcorn »
Isabelle Clark, a senior majoringing in Evolutionary Anthropology, has been named a finalist in the research poster competition at the upcoming annual meeting of the International Primatology Society/American Society of Primatologists. Congratulations Isabelle! read more about EvAnth major Isabelle Clark a finalist in IPS/ASP poster competition »
Evolutionary Anthropology graduate students Lydia Greene and Kendra Smyth took time off from their dissertation work to share their expertise in data analysis with undergraduates engaged in senior honors research. read more about Evolutionary Anthropology graduate students share expertise in data analysis »
Duke scientist-explorer Elwyn Simons, who studied living and extinct primates for more than 50 years, died in his sleep on Sunday, March 6, in Peoria, Arizona. He was 85.Widely regarded as the founder of modern primate paleontology, Simons was an expert on the history of primates leading up to humans. Simons’ fossil-hunting expeditions and primate conservation work took him all over the globe, from the badlands of Wyoming to the Egyptian desert and the rainforests of Madagascar. From 1961 to 2012, he led more than 90 field… read more about Fossil Expert and Primate Conservationist Elwyn Simons Dies at 85 »