Primates | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/primates/RSS feed for PrimatesenFri, 02 Oct 2026 14:34:46 +0000These Wild Lemurs Sing Just Like Opera Stars, Widening Their Mouths as They Hit the High Notes, Study Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-wild-lemurs-sing-just-like-opera-stars-widening-their-mouths-as-they-hit-the-high-notes-study-suggests-180989603/Scientists suspect this musical trait arose independently in humans and indris, which split from a common ancestor some 74 million years ago. Today, the lemurs make loud, haunting calls to communicate with one another in the dense forests of eastern MadagascarFri, 02 Oct 2026 14:34:46 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-wild-lemurs-sing-just-like-opera-stars-widening-their-mouths-as-they-hit-the-high-notes-study-suggests-180989603/Cameras Capture Adult Chimpanzees Passing Tools—and Know-How—to Their Young, Teaching Important Skills to the Next Generationhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cameras-capture-adult-chimpanzees-passing-tools-and-know-how-to-their-young-teaching-important-skills-to-the-next-generation-180989538/Researchers recorded footage of wild chimps in Senegal showing youngsters how to use sticks to fish out ants and how to smash baobab fruit against rocks to open it, among other instances of instructionTue, 22 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cameras-capture-adult-chimpanzees-passing-tools-and-know-how-to-their-young-teaching-important-skills-to-the-next-generation-180989538/Stealing Candy From Children, Splash-Proof Urinals and Buried Panties, Oh My! Here Are the Winners of the 2026 Ig Nobel Prizeshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stealing-candy-from-children-splash-proof-urinals-and-buried-panties-oh-my-here-are-the-winners-of-the-2026-ig-nobel-prizes-180989463/The awards are an unaffiliated spoof of the Nobel Prizes. They highlight research achievements that are surprising and silly-sounding—but also make people thinkTue, 08 Sep 2026 20:50:44 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stealing-candy-from-children-splash-proof-urinals-and-buried-panties-oh-my-here-are-the-winners-of-the-2026-ig-nobel-prizes-180989463/When Fruit Is Scarce, These Monkeys Hunt Animals. The Behavior May Offer Clues About the Origins of Humans' Meat-Eating Habitshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-fruit-is-scarce-these-monkeys-hunt-animals-the-behavior-may-offer-clues-about-the-origins-of-humans-meat-eating-habits-180989412/The bearded capuchins of northeastern Brazil typically eat plant-based foods, but they turn to small vertebrates when those sources are limited. Our ancestors may have done the same, eventually allowing predatory behaviors to be more frequently passed on in our lineageFri, 28 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-fruit-is-scarce-these-monkeys-hunt-animals-the-behavior-may-offer-clues-about-the-origins-of-humans-meat-eating-habits-180989412/