Orangutans are generally not fond of water, but Dr. Anne Russon, a professor of psychology at the 91ŃÇÉ«, and an orangutan researcher, has discovered that some of them have conquered their aversion in order to take up a new avocation: fishing.  She and her colleagues have observed apes at the sanctuary she's worked at scooping fish from shallow ponds, and even using sticks to move the fish to where they can be more easily captured.  They then enjoy a little fresh sushi.  This group of orangutans are rescued animals that grew up in captivity, and this behaviour hasn't been seen in their wild cousins.

You can , which runs for nine minutes.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile– 91ŃÇɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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You can listen to Russon's interview with host Bob McDonald on .  The interview begins at the 1:30 mark.

Russon has observed 18 cases of orangutans in Borneo using mime to communicate both simple and complex messages.  In one example, an orangutan asked a researcher for help cracking open a coconut by acting out the motions required.  Another wanted to share the memory of having had a researcher remove a sliver from a foot by repeatedly miming the action.  It is thought that this form of communication among these great apes could provide a clue to the origins of human language.

Related Links, courtesy of CBC online:

• in Biology Letters
• Original news release from the Research Website
• (with video of the coconut incident)

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, with files courtesy of YFile– 91ŃÇɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post Audio: Professor Anne Russon speaks to Quirks & Quarks about how orangutans communicate using mime appeared first on Research & Innovation.

You can listen to the interview on . The clip runs approximately 10 minutes.

Here's what Quirks & Quarks had to say about it:

That constant buzzing noise coming from South Africa these days makes Dr. Laurence Packer think of his true passion. He's a Canadian melittologist, which means that when he hears buzzing, he thinks of "the beautiful insect" rather than "the beautiful game." Dr. Packer studies bees, and in his latest book, he dispels a lot of myths - for instance, not all bees sting, not all bees make honey, and not all bees live in social colonies - and he warns that unless we do more to save the bees, we risk losing many of our food crops.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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The interview is .

Taylor and other 91ŃÇÉ« researchers played a key role in a . The DZero collaboration of scientists at the submitted a finding to the journal Physical Review D, reporting significant differences between matter and antimatter, which run up against current theories of particle physics.

Their research indicates a one per cent difference between the production of pairs of muons and pairs of antimuons in the decay of B mesons produced in high-energy collisions at Fermilab’s Tevatron particle collider. An independent DZero measurement carried out by 91ŃÇÉ« researchers and submitted to Physical Review D last month further verifies these results.

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile– 91ŃÇɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post Audio: Professor and Canada Research Chair Wendy Taylor speaks about DZero Experiment appeared first on Research & Innovation.

In , Stutchbury roams forests and jungles studying the sexual antics and social lives of birds, and details the science behind their surprisingly sophisticated and often amusing behavior. The book was published by April 16.

Stutchbury, a and a professor in the Department of Biology in 91ŃÇɫ’s , also explains how understanding birds’ behaviour will help to conserve increasingly-threatened species.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile– 91ŃÇɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post Audio: Professor Bridget Stutchbury interviewed on Quirks & Quarks about bird research appeared first on Research & Innovation.

, a psychology PhD candidate in the Faculty of Health at 91ŃÇÉ«'s Centre for Infancy Studies, describe her research, which was conducted under the direction of Professor Maria Legerstee and published in the Journal Infancy. The clip runs approximately 10 minutes.

Edited by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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