Latest Ethologists Stories

Fans everywhere are celebrating the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin, the man whose controversial book "On The Origin of Species" captured the mind of some of the world's most important thinkers.David Attenborough, whose television programs on the natural world have been watched by millions, said Darwin turned natural history into a science.According to Reuters, Darwin's naturalist influence is being celebrated at his old university in Cambridge, at his home in Kent -- now preserved...

The name Charles Darwin is synonymous with the infamous theory of evolution that infuriated many because it conflicted with the Biblical view of creation. However, not many know that his theory also launched problems in Darwin's marriage with his very religious wife, Emma."Darwin tried not to hurt his wife," Ruth Padel, the naturalist's great great granddaughter, told the Associated Press. "She said he seemed to be putting God further and further off. But they talked it...

Controversy continues to surround scientists' use of Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory to develop improved technologies, even in the days before marking the 200th anniversary of the English naturalist on Feb. 12. Although many scientists see Darwin's ideas as an indispensible way to approach new applications in computer science, the field of medicine, and elsewhere, fundamentalist Christians still disagree on the teaching and application of those ideas. Last month, the Texas State Board of...

With most mammals, the biggest and most aggressive male claims the alpha male role and gets his choice of food and females. But a new study from the University of Minnesota suggests that at least among chimpanzees, smaller, more mild-mannered males can also use political behavior to secure the top position.The finding was gleaned from 10 years of observing dominant male chimpanzees in Gombe National Park, Tanzania, looking at behaviors they used to compete for alpha male status relative to...

GEORGETOWN, Texas, Jan. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- When Charles Darwin published his landmark book On the Evolution of Species in 1859, his theories on evolution were quickly accepted by the vast majority of scientists. The general public, however, was not as eager to accept Darwin's ideas, due largely to the fact that they challenged established religious beliefs. Today, 150 years after the publication of Darwin's book, science and religion remain as conflicted as ever when it comes to...

Countries with laws against gorilla poaching are vowing to step up their enforcement of such laws in light of claims from environmental groups that countries don't do enough to implement them. The United Nations on Monday proclaimed as 2009 the Year of the Gorilla in order to raise funds for protection of the primates from disease, hunting and deforestation.The Year of the Gorilla (YoG) campaign is spearheaded by a number of top experts including Jane Goodall, the renowned biologist and...

A couple whose ages add up to a combined 179 said they have set a record as Britain's oldest newlyweds after nine years of dating. Penny Cooper, 90, and John Dawkins, 89, said their nuptials Tuesday at the Honiton, England, register office -- setting a record for the largest combined age for a newlywed couple in Britain, The Daily Mail reported Friday. Dawkins said Cooper was forced to move out of his home and into an extended care facility after she suffered a stroke 18 months ago, but he...

Primatologist, ethologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall says African chimpanzees cannot be protected unless people's living conditions are improved. Goodall, who will be in San Francisco Saturday to accept the Leakey Foundation's Leakey Prize in human evolutionary science, told the Los Angeles Times she added humanitarian efforts to her scientific research after noticing something once while flying over Gombe National Park in Tanzania, site of her groundbreaking chimpanzee research. While...

DESPITE the impossibility of evolution ever happening, the evolutionist is certain that it has. The rigorously tested scientific evidence of evolution that J. C. Buchanan-Brown talks about is this: "We can make the point that, however improbable the (evolutionary) origin of life might be, we know it happened on Earth because we are here.'' (Richard Dawkins: The God Delusion, p137) He has also stated "I believe, but cannot prove, that all life, all intelligence, all creativity and all...

By Jenny Stocks Film stars will descend on a Cornish fishing village this week to shoot the story of Charles Darwin's life. Charlestown, on the south coast of Cornwall near St Austell, will provide one of the locations for the film Creation, which follows the life of the English naturalist. Shooting is due to take place tomorrow, Friday and Sunday. The film is based on Annie's Box, a book by Darwin's great-great- grandson Randal Keynes. It will be released next year to tie in with the...