The Evening Standard (London, England) articles from April 2008

The Evening Standard (London, England) archives from April 2008

This month in Odyssey.(Science Scoops)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Each year we choose a scientist to honor with a biographical issue. This year's choice, the primatologist Jane Goodall, just happens to be a hero, an icon, and a celebrity with fans, as well as one of the world's best-known women scientists....

Chimps vs. toddlers: a battle of wits.(Science Scoops)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Most people are smarter than primates, but what about two-and-a-half-year-old people? Are human toddlers bright enough to beat chimpanzees and orangutans in a test of social learning skills? The answer is (surprise! surprise!) yes, according to...

Picky primates.(Science Scoops)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Any old fruit tree isn't good enough for the white-faced saki monkey! Most animals tend to scarf up whatever food they can get, but bands of monkeys and other primates may choose the best place to eat based on memory...

Second cousin to a flying lemur?(Science Scoops)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] You surely know that chimpanzees, monkeys, gorillas, and other primates are your closest animal cousins, but who are your second cousins? Tree shrews or flying lemurs? Thanks to new genetic data gathered by a team...

You Tarzan, me Jane Goodall.
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] HE WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT LIKE THE OTHERS. Even his foster mother noticed. He was slow and backward and spouted strange noises. And his bald patches made him look funny. But none of that mattered. Jane Goodall adored...

So, what is a primate?
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN COMMON WITH the aye-aye, sifaka, siamang, and potto? If you said your collarbone, you're probably a primatologist--a person who studies primates. If you're not, read on. Just like those...

Culture: chimps style! Chimps "fish." They hunt. They even "dance.".
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Since Jane Goodall made her first discoveries in the 1960s, scientists have spent the equivalent of more than zoo years of fieldwork at Gombe and elsewhere studying chimp communities. Let's check out some of their...

My friend Jane.
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] We flew in a small plane to Kigoma and then took an evening boat ride on the clear blue waters of Lake Tanganyika to the wooded hills of Gombe. Jane had established her famous research center there with a staff of...

Chasing chimpanzees.
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The alarm goes off brutally early--it's still dark outside, and all is quiet except for the sounds of the insects. It's hard to get up before dawn, but the hike to the chimpanzees can take anywhere from minutes to...

Curios about animals? Make an ethogram and a time budget.(ACTIVITY TO DISCOVER)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A child who takes animals seriously, who considers them worthy of individual recognition, and who assumes that they are not randomly running around but, like us, lead orderly lives, can discover things that the...

Primates in peril: our closest relatives--chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans--are facing extinction. Will we save them?
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IMAGINE YOUR MOTHER taking your grandmother's hand. Now imagine that your grandmother takes her mother's hand. and that mother takes her mother's hand... and the mothers flow out the door, across the lawn, and down...

Caring for our cousins.
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] JANE GOODALL IS THE WORLD'S EXPERT on chimpanzees, but she also is their most outspoken advocate. Whether they are in the wild, in laboratory cages, or in sanctuaries, Goodall works ceaselessly to improve their...

Are ape rights the next frontier?
April 1, 2008... Point: Apes Need Rights While most great apes remain in the wild, about 1,100 chimpanzees are being used in biomedical research in the United States right now, according to Lori Gruen, Director of the Ethics in Society Project at Wesleyan...

Stop chopping trees save chimpanzees: working for environmental conservation.
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Do you have a passion for the environment and all its inhabitants? Ever imagine swinging through the trees like Tarzan? Well, my brother Michael Stern doesn't exactly go swinging from vine to vine with monkeys, but...

Roots & shoots: planting the seeds of change.
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jane Goodall's belief that "knowledge leads to compassion, which inspires action" resounds with young people around the globe. And it is through them--our future leaders and volunteers--that Goodall hopes to continue...

Jane Goodall: it's all about attitude ... and the animals.(Interview)(Cover story)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jane Goodall's typical travel schedule is almost as intense as that of the 2008 Presidential candidates. She's on the road up to 300 days each year spreading her message of peace in the world. At 73, how does she...

Lemur journey.(BRAIN STRAIN)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As you know, lemurs are small prosimian primates with a "tooth comb" in their mouths and a clawlike nail on the second toe of their feet. Today, a group of the irascible little creatures is putting those special...

Who's aping whom?(Activity to Discover)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] They use tools to do their work. And they learn best by doing. They often play tricks on each other. And sometimes, they can be real snobs. Sounds like your classmates, right? Wrong. These traits, and many others...

Starry, starry night.(Ask Dr. Cy Borg)
April 1, 2008... Dear Dr. B, How many stars are in the universe? And what is the average distance between them? Hugo Kessler, age 10, McLean, Virginia Counting stars one by one is not an option, so scientists try to make educated guesses. One way...

Star chart.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The monthly All-Sky Chart depicts the sky (minus the Moon) as it appears at 8:30 p.m. (your local daylight-savings time) on April 15. Useful all month (except for planet positions), the chart is also accurate for 9:30 p.m. on April 1 and 7:30...

Extreme astronomy.(STARGAZING)(Cartoon)
April 1, 2008... GREETINGS, GREETINGS, FELLOW STARGAZERS! WANT TO EXPERIENCE SOME "EXTREME" ASTRONOMY? WELL, GRAB YOUR PARACHUTE AND FOLLOW ME. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ON EARLY APRIL EVENINGS, THE BIG DIPPER IS POSITIONED SO THAT ITS WATER POURS OUT OF...

Harvest for Hope.(Kids' Picks)(Book review)
April 1, 2008... Harvest for Hope by Jane Goodall (Hachette Book Group, 2006) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Have you ever wondered what you should eat when you're hungry? If you usually consider just taste, you likely jump for something sweet or...

Uncommon creatures.(Animal Angles)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Unlike many primates, common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) are, as their name implies, common, and not yet seriously threatened by loss of habitat. They live primarily in the coastal forests of northeastern...