Vocal recruitment for joint travel in wild chimpanzees.

Joint travel is a common social activity of many group-living animals, which requires some degree of coordination, sometimes through communication signals. Here, we studied the use of an acoustically distinct vocalisation in chimpanzees, the 'travel hoo', a signal given specifically in the travel context. We were interested in how this call type was produced to coordinate travel, whether it was aimed at specific individuals and how recipients responded.

Uncovering the cultural knowledge of sanctuary apes.

Behavioral differences observed between wild communities of the same species have been called "cultures" by some researchers who aimed to underline the similarities with human cultures. However, whether these differences truly result from social learning processes is debated. Despite promising recent research, data acquired in the wild still fail to exclude genetic and ecological factors from being potential explanations for the observed behavioral differences.

Sumatran orangutans differ in their cultural knowledge but not in their cognitive abilities.

Animal cultures are controversial because the method used to isolate culture in animals aims at excluding genetic and environmental influences rather than demonstrating social learning. Here, we analyzed these factors in parallel in captivity to determine their influences on tool use. We exposed Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) orphans from tool-using and non-tool-using regions (western swamps and eastern Langkat, respectively) that differed in both genetic and cultural backgrounds to a raking task and a honey-dipping task to assess their understanding of stick use.

"They should take time": disclosure of clinical trial results as part of a social relationship.

Disclosing overall scientific results to clinical trial participants has become an ethical obligation. Here we studied how participants understand these results in view of their experience of clinical trials and illness in general and what modes of disclosure they preferred. Interviews were conducted with 29 breast cancer patients in France during 2009, using an in-depth qualitative approach.