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Reposted by Thibaud Gruber

Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 4d

Twenty-four years ago today, our paper “A forkhead-domain gene is mutated in a severe speech and language disorder” was published: www.nature.com/articles/350....
A personal thread about the ups & downs of the journey we took to get to that point....1/n
🗣️🧬🧪

Image shows the first two printed pages of the paper “A forkhead-domain gene is mutated in a severe speech and language disorder” by Cecilia Lai and colleagues, published in Nature in 2001 (volume 413, pages 519-523). The abstract reads as follows:
Individuals affected with developmental disorders of speech and language have substantial difficulty acquiring expressive and/or receptive language in the absence of any profound sensory or neurological impairment and despite adequate intelligence and opportunity. Although studies of twins consistently indicate that a significant genetic component is involved, most families segregating speech and language deficits show complex patterns of inheritance, and a gene that predisposes individuals to such disorders has not been identified. We have studied a unique three-generation pedigree, KE, in which a severe speech and language disorder is transmitted as an autosomal-dominant monogenic trait. Our previous work mapped the locus responsible, SPCH1, to a 5.6-cM interval of region 7q31 on chromosome 7. We also identified an unrelated individual, CS, in whom speech and language impairment is associated with a chromosomal translocation involving the SPCH1 interval. Here we show that the gene FOXP2, which encodes a putative transcription factor containing a polyglutamine tract and a forkhead DNA-binding domain, is directly disrupted by the translocation breakpoint in CS. In addition, we identify a point mutation in affected members of the KE family that alters an invariant amino-acid residue in the forkhead domain. Our findings suggest that FOXP2 is involved in the developmental process that culminates in speech and language.

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Thibaud Gruber @thibaudgruber.bsky.social · 7d

There are no words...

Jane Goodall Institute of Canada @janegoodallcan.bsky.social · 7d

The Jane Goodall Institute of Canada has learned this morning, Wednesday, October 1st, 2025, that Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, UN Messenger of Peace and Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, has passed away due to natural causes.

She was in California as part of her speaking tour in the United States.

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Thibaud Gruber @thibaudgruber.bsky.social · Aug 22

Hi Cécile, any way the symposium could be followed online / are the talks being recorded?

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Thibaud Gruber @thibaudgruber.bsky.social · Aug 22

APCs are a bargain for this one, maybe we, as a community, should consider... 🤔

Thibaud Gruber @thibaudgruber.bsky.social · Aug 20

It was very interesting to venture into unchartered territories for me in this commentary! www.tandfonline.com/eprint/SSGAA...

Prevention as the Original Focus to Acquire Cultural Competence? A Journey into Our Primate Living and Extinct Relatives’ Cultural Lives

Published in Psychological Inquiry: An International Journal for the Advancement of Psychological Theory (Vol. 36, No. 3, 2025)

www.tandfonline.com

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Reposted by Thibaud Gruber

katja heuer @k4tj4.bsky.social · Jul 27

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To predict the behaviour of a primate, would you rather base your guess on a closely related species or one with a similar brain shape? We looked at brains & behaviours of 70 species, you’ll be surprised!

🧵Thread on our new preprint with @r3rt0.bsky.social , doi.org/10.1101/2025...

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Thibaud Gruber @thibaudgruber.bsky.social · Jul 16

We have a new paper out on how old age (variably) impacts chimpanzee tool use! See the thread by Elliot @ehowaspi.bsky.social ⏬⏬

Elliot Howard-Spink @ehowaspi.bsky.social · Jul 15

New paper out in eLife! 🎉 Old age variably impacts chimpanzee engagement and efficiency in stone tool use elifesciences.org/articles/105... (including videos of wild elderly chimpanzees using tools! 🪨 🌰)

Old age variably impacts chimpanzee engagement and efficiency in stone tool use

Long-term standardized data collection on wild western chimpanzees reveals late-life changes in stone tool use, and the extent of these changes varies between individuals.

elifesciences.org

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Reposted by Thibaud Gruber

Alex Shackman @ajshackman.bsky.social · Jul 13

osf.io/preprints/ps... - A functionalist theory of emotion - Ralph Adolphs - draft of the first part of a forthcoming book (“The new science of emotion” - Princeton U Press, 2026). What follows is a draft of Chapters 1-4, primarily with the aim of soliciting comments.

OSF

osf.io

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Reposted by Thibaud Gruber

Cat Hobaiter @nakedprimate.bsky.social · Jul 2

📣 Join the K/Creative Ape Team 🤓 2 PhDs on Creativity in Wild Chimpanzees & Bonobos; w myself & the v awesome @kathelijnekoops.bsky.social

@snf-fns.ch Uni Zurich @uniofstandrews.bsky.social @efp2026.bsky.social @ips-primatenews.bsky.social @primatesocietygb.bsky.social @primbehavecol.bsky.social 🐵🧪

two 4-year PhD positions in the Ape Behaviour & Ecology Group of the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Zurich, and the Wild Minds Lab of the School of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of St Andrews, to study wild chimpanzees and bonobos.
The PhD candidates will work within the Creative Ape Project. The overall goal of the project is to enhance our understanding of the evolution of creativity, and to shed light on whether humans are a uniquely 'creative ape'. To do so we will apply a comparative approach, quantifying the creative capacities of wild non-human apes to investigate the underlying drivers that shape creative expression across species. The project explores four interconnected topics: i) Making mavericks, ii) Funny guys and arty-types, iii) Lone ape geniuses, and iv) Creative ape economies. We employ a comprehensive approach that leverages long-term datasets, new field data, detailed manual video-coding, bespoke automated deep-learning models, and advanced modelling, to extract rich information on the ways in which apes solve problems in their daily lives.

Excellent collaborative, independent working and time management skills are essential. Previous field experience (incl. behavioural data collection) is required, and experience working in remote places under difficult living conditions is highly recommended. The project will require strong data management and data analysis skills, and 12-18 months of field work split into 2-3 periods.

Please submit your application in a single PDF to kathelijne.koops@iea.uzh.ch and clh42@st-andrews.ac.uk – by 4th of August 2025. Feel free to get in touch if you have any inquiries about the positions. Applications should include: 1) cover letter stating your motivation and how your expertise fits the project (max. 1 page), 2) Curriculum Vitae, 3) copy of the highest degree obtained, 4) names and contact details of two referees, and 5) reprints of 1-2 selected publications

A tiny chimpfant looks at the camera with surprise

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Reposted by Thibaud Gruber

Caroline Fryns @carolinefryns.bsky.social · Jun 25

1/n Hot off the press!
The first empirical chapter of my PhD and the fruit of a hugely collaborative project led with Franziska Wegdell and Johanna Schick is out! We explore if immature-directed vocalisations are present and in what quantity in wild great apes.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

The evolution of infant-directed communication: Comparing vocal input across all great apes

Human infants receive more directed communication than other great ape infants, indicating that it evolved alongside language.

www.science.org

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Reposted by Thibaud Gruber

Dr Rebecca Koomen @rebeccakoomen.bsky.social · Jun 5

🎊Fully funded PhD position on cooperative sustainability🌳

Are you curious about
🧒 developmental,
🌍 cross-cultural
🦧 species comparative
research on cooperative sustainability?

All info here or dm me with questions!
career2.successfactors.eu/sfcareer/job...
Please share! 🙏

Career Opportunities: PhD position Cooperative Sustainability (14208)

career2.successfactors.eu

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Reposted by Thibaud Gruber

Katie Cronin, PhD @katieacronin.bsky.social · Jun 24

"Emotion leaves a trace in their voice - just like humans." Venkatraman Manikandan shared a clever, practical approach for AI monitoring of chicken vocalizations that could work across entire flocks to get a full picture of #animalwelfare #UFAW2025. Read about it 👇

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Thibaud Gruber @thibaudgruber.bsky.social · Jun 24

The perks of working on a baby ape development project is spending time with them 😀. Popularity contest: Budongo (left) or Bugoma (right)? @snsf.ch

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Thibaud Gruber @thibaudgruber.bsky.social · Jun 24

Killer whales use tools too 😀!

Charli Grimes @charli-ocean.bsky.social · Jun 24

We did some science. We found some things.
Killer whales get by with a little kelp from their friends.

Evidence of tool manufacture and use in resident killer whales - check it out!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Manufacture and use of allogrooming tools by wild killer whales

The manufacture and use of tools, while widespread in terrestrial animals1, has been less frequently reported in marine taxa2. In cetaceans, clear exa…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Reposted by Thibaud Gruber

Bridget Waller @bridgetwaller.bsky.social · Jun 16

New review paper on primate facial expression! 🙈🙊🙉 with @jamiewhitehouse.bsky.social @jmicheletta.bsky.social and Olivia O’Callaghan @ntupsychology.bsky.social

Nature Reviews Psychology @natrevpsychol.nature.com · Jun 16

Facial expression production and perception in non-human primates

Review by Bridget M. Waller, Olivia O’Callaghan, Jérôme Micheletta & Jamie Whitehouse

Web: go.nature.com/43NLtid
PDF: rdcu.be/erdXJ

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Reposted by Thibaud Gruber

Dan Sperber @dansperber.bsky.social · Jun 6

"Rethinking Ostensive Communication in an Evolutionary, Comparative, and Developmental Perspective" now published in Psychological Review
psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/202...

psycnet.apa.org

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Reposted by Thibaud Gruber

La Société Francophone de Primatologie @lasfdp.bsky.social · Jun 3

#voxprimato #conference
📢 registration and abstract submission for the 37th conference of the SFDP are open! 🐒
It will be held in Poitiers, France, from 30/09 to 03/10 on the thematic "(Paleo)primatologieS: from the field to the lab" and is organised by the fantastic team @palevoprim.bsky.social! 👏

La Société Francophone de Primatologie @lasfdp.bsky.social · Jun 3

#voxprimato #colloque
📢 les inscriptions et soumissions de résumé pour le 37è colloque de la SFDP sont ouvertes! 🐒
Le colloque aura lieu à Poitiers du 30/09 au 03/10 sur le thème "(Paléo)primatologieS: du terrain au laboratoire" et est organisé par la fantastique équipe de @palevoprim.bsky.social! 👏

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Reposted by Thibaud Gruber

Lars Chittka @larschittka.bsky.social · May 25

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

First evidence of an anxiety-like behavior and its pharmacological modulation in a molluscan model organism, Lymnaea stagnalis - Translational Psychiatry

Translational Psychiatry - First evidence of an anxiety-like behavior and its pharmacological modulation in a molluscan model organism, Lymnaea stagnalis

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Thibaud Gruber

Nicolas Alexandre @nicmalexandre.bsky.social · May 21

🚨New paper alert!🚨
We show that hummingbird beaks have changed in shape & size since around WWII, driven by the rise of commercialized feeders! 🧵
📄 Paper: dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb....
#ornithology #evolution #GlobalChangeBiology

Supplemental Feeding as a Driver of Population Expansion and Morphological Change in Anna's Hummingbirds

Bird beaks are highly adaptable, with the potential to undergo rapid morphological shifts in response to environmental change such as climatic variation or food availability. Anna's Hummingbirds (Cal...

dx.doi.org

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Reposted by Thibaud Gruber

Raphaela Heesen @heesenr.bsky.social · May 17

Interested in biology and comparative psychology, and working in an interdisciplinary project and research team? I’m advertising two PhD positions on the evolutionary origins of cooperative sociality and communication (start 1.10.) at the University of Konstanz👇 links below!

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Maël Leroux @maelmleroux.bsky.social · May 13

Only two weeks left to apply!

Come and join me, Alban Lemasson, Katie Slocombe and Simon Townsend!

And spread the word to whoever might be interested!

@efp2024.bsky.social @lasfdp.bsky.social @ips-primatenews.bsky.social

Maël Leroux @maelmleroux.bsky.social · Mar 26

🚨 Job opportunity 🚨
A 3-year post doc position is opening as part of my #APELANG project funded by the @agencerecherche.bsky.social

It’s about multimodal combinatorial communication in wild #chimpanzees 🐵

Job ad here: maelleroux-research.weebly.com/apelang.html
And here 👇🏻

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Reposted by Thibaud Gruber

Revathe @revathe.bsky.social · May 14

New paper alert! Our study on consistent individual variation in Sumatran orangutan maternal behaviour is out today in @royalsocietypublishing.org! Using ~6000h of observation, we show that mothers are not all the same when it comes to parenting. (1/n)
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

Sumatran orangutan mothers differ in the extent and trajectory of their expression of maternal behaviour | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Mothers play a crucial role in the early development and survival of mammalian offspring, and differences in maternal care may affect offspring’s development. Whereas previous research has primarily focused on biological and socioecological factors to ...

royalsocietypublishing.org

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Reposted by Thibaud Gruber

Ville Sinkkonen @villesinkkonen.bsky.social · Jan 28

Catopithecus from oligocene of Fayum, Egypt

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Thibaud Gruber @thibaudgruber.bsky.social · May 12

Congrats @elerolland.bsky.social @taichimpproject.bsky.social ! Nice work!

MPI-EVA Leipzig @mpi-eva-leipzig.bsky.social · May 12

First evidence of mother-offspring #attachment types in wild chimpanzees. New study @nathumbehav.nature.com led by @elerolland.bsky.social, Cathy Crockford & @romanwittig.bsky.social. @cnrs.fr @isc-mj.bsky.social @taichimpproject.bsky.social See: tinyurl.com/mr27cpfc & www.nature.com/articles/s41...

First evidence of mother-offspring attachment types in wild chimpanzees

New study finds wild chimpanzees do not show disorganised attachment

tinyurl.com

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Reposted by Thibaud Gruber

Cat Hobaiter @nakedprimate.bsky.social · May 9

TLDR: new paper headed up by @vestaeleuteri.bsky.social
& with an awesome team, incl @andrearavignani.bsky.social , showing chimps have rhythm in their drumming & differences b/w east & west drum rhythms!

www.cell.com/current-biol...

But didn’t we know this already you ask? Well… 🧵1/16

Chimpanzee drumming shows rhythmicity and subspecies variation

Chimpanzees drum on the buttress roots of trees for communication. Eleuteri et al. investigate the presence of key elements of musical rhythm and of regional variation in chimpanzee buttress drumming....

www.cell.com

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