Though de Waal tells a personal narrative of his loss of faith in The
Bonobo and the Atheist, he also insists on asking the somewhat banal, if conversation-starting question, "What does atheism have to offer that's worth fighting for?" In a way, de Waal's entire book is figured as a response to the rise of atheism in contemporary discourse.
The striking absence of aggression among one species of ape
bonobos, sometimes called pygmy chimpanzees may be hard-wired into their brains, a new study suggests.
The two primates that are most closely related to human beings are chimps and
bonobos. And they're equidistant.
What the
bonobo example shows is that homosexual and bisexual behavior can form a positive part of the troop's overall social life.
Recent warfare in the DRC triggered a serious humanitarian and environmental crisis, resulting in organized hunting in
bonobo habitat that is threatening the apes.
Older
bonobo females keep younger females in check by snubbing them: walking away from a grooming attempt or refusing to share food.
White returned to the Lomako Forest
bonobo region in the summer of 2005 and found that the apes had survived but continue to be threatened by hunting and illegal logging.
He says a five-year, $2bn protection and environmental management plan for 11 countries is failing because of a lack of funding, and that another way must be found to save not only the gorillas, but also the chimpanzees and
bonobo pygmy chimps that live there.
Too bad the researchers didn't take a closer look at their own
bonobo films.
Since the confirmation of
bonobo populations in both sectors of the park, several site-specific studies have been launched to study species abundance and distribution (e.g.
HOT on the heels of Live From Times Square's announcement that reggae legends UB40 will be heading to Newcastle this August, organisers have now confirmed that EDM giant
Bonobo will also be performing at this year's event.
