john hawks weblog

paleoanthropology, genetics and evolution

Just call Animal Control

Tue, 2009-02-17 10:58 -- John Hawks

I'm not really qualified to give chimpanzee-related advice, but...

...when your friend calls for help because her 200-pound Xanax-drugged chimpanzee has stolen the car keys...

His owner, Sandra Herold, 70, had called a friend over to help when "Travis" began misbehaving at 241 Rock Rimmon Road. The chimp had taken the keys to the car. He was also trying to open car doors, which he apparently did to indicate he wanted to go for a ride. Herold was able to coax Travis back to the house and she gave him some Xanax-laced tea, police said.

When the friend, Charla Nash, 55, of Stamford, arrived minutes later, the 200-pound chimp bolted outside and began brutally attacking Nash as she was getting out of her car, leaving her with severe facial injuries. She was in "very critical condition," according to police, and her condition had not improved considerably Tuesday.

...call Animal Control.

Another of our periodic reminders that chimpanzees are not domesticated animals.

Neandertals

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Denisova

From a finger bone of an ancient human came the record of a completely unexpected population. My lab is working on the science of the Denisova genome.

Acceleration

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Malapa

Just outside Johannesburg, the Malapa site is producing some of the most exciting finds in human evolution. This site is the headquarters of the Malapa Soft Tissue Project.