2025
News list
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IEA-Symposium Autumn Semester 2025
Organized twice a year, the symposium offers a platform for researchers across all career stages to share ongoing work in evolutionary anthropology. Presentations span a wide range of topics, from primate social behavior and ecological physiology to human evolution and evolutionary medicine, reflecting the diversity of research at the IEA.
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Integrating Environmental DNA Metabarcoding and Remote Sensing Reveals Known and Novel Fish Diversity Hotspots in a World Heritage Area
This study brilliantly combines eDNA metabarcoding and remote sensing to uncover both known and surprising fish diversity hotspots — all in a World Heritage Area. It’s a stellar example of integrative research with real conservation power!
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Inside the Society of Gorillas: World Gorilla Day 2025 With Dr Robin Morrison
Robin celebrated World Gorilla Day by speaking with Gerry Ellis on the Talking Apes Podcast. In their conversation they dive into the evolution of social systems, what gorilla families can teach us about our own, and how understanding their relationships can help protect them.
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Forest soundscapes improve mood, restoration and cognition, but not physiological stress or immunity, relative to industrial soundscapes
Through two controlled trials, we show that forest acoustic environments improve mood, restoration, and cognition compared to industrial sounds. Findings advance understanding of nature’s effects and suggest acoustic interventions may benefit public health.
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An updated vocal repertoire of wild adult bonobos
We provide the first quantitative validation of the bonobo vocal repertoire, analysing 1,500 calls from 53 wild adults. Using machine learning, we identify 11 distinct call types, advancing understanding of great ape communication complexity.
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Integrated behavioral and metabolically flexible responses of wild orangutans to ecologically driven dietary variation
Studying wild orangutans, we show they regulate protein intake and flexibly switch between dietary and internal energy sources during fruit scarcity. This strategy highlights metabolic resilience and offers insights relevant to human diet and health.
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Dispersed female networks: female gorillas’ inter-group relationships influence dispersal decisions
Analysis of two decades of mountain gorilla data reveals that females prefer groups with familiar females while avoiding related males. These dispersal choices reduce inbreeding risks and show the importance of social bonds in shaping gorilla societies.
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Chimpanzees Drumming Offers Clues to the Evolutionary Roots of Rhythm
A new study co-authored by IEA’s Prof. Kathelijne Koops (Ape Behaviour & Ecology Group) and Dr. Adrian Soldati (Comparative Communication & Cognition Group) revealed that wild chimpanzees use drumming in rhythmically structured ways, showing features similar to human music (e.g., isochrony and non-random timing). In addition, the researchers found stable subspecies-level regional differences between West and East African chimpanzees in both the drumming structure and its integration within pant-hoots (chimpanzees’ characteristic long-distance call), despite substantial ecological variation.
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From Molecules to Social Networks: Integrating Environmental DNA and Behavioural Ecology to Unveil Drivers of Dolphin Social Structure
PhD Defense Manuela Bizzozzero, Room Y16-G-05 Campus Irchel
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Extensive compositionality in the vocal system of bonobos
Researchers from IEA publish new insights in "Science"
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From linguistics to animal communication: Assessing the structural dynamics of non-human primate call system
PhD defense Alex Bosshard 7. March, 4pm, KOL-G-217