Thursday, May 27, 2010

2010: The Year Of The Bonobo?

We know a lot about chimpanzees, including how closely related to us they are. According to this article by Research Scientist Vanessa Woods, this may be the year in which our other closest animal relative, the bonobo, finally gets some mainstream coverage.

Why haven't we heard more about bonobos before now if they're such close neighbours of ours on the evolutionary tree? As Ms. Woods explains, talking about a species that actually exhibits gay sex and uses sex in general to relieve stress just doesn't play into the ideologies of the day (especially in the U.S.). Here's hoping scientists like her can succeed in changing that in the coming days.

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