A fossil discovery described in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is inconsistent with common notions that our direct evolutionary ancestors looked more like chimpanzees or gorillas than humans.

Like the famous "Lucy," this fossil, dubbed "Big Man," is Australopithecus afarensis, a bipedal primate and direct ancestor of humans. Big Man stood about 5'5," had legs that would have been good for running, and had a rib cage similar to our own. He was much taller than Lucy.

Check out this interesting New York Times article, which describes unusual behavior in Barbary macaque males. They use infants -- their own and others -- to facilitate bonding with other males, toting infants as status symbols. Dr.

At 7:40 a.m. on October 30, sitting on her Peak, Jane heard a wild commotion in the treetops below her. She heard some "angry little screams," and finally saw 1 of 3 chimpanzees grasping something pink. Two bushpigs ran around the base of the tree, and chased a smaller chimpanzee up it. Baboons tried to get close, snarling and skirmishing with the chimps. Eventually the chimp with the coveted goods moved out onto a high, bare branch and Jane could see he was holding a piece of carcass.

One extraordinary change at Gombe - I am sitting in the house on the beach where Grub grew up waiting to send a skyped message to the UK in commemoration of the 50th anniversary. When I arrived there was no faxing, no emailing - certainly no Skyping! Only telegrams if you wanted to communicate fast - and from here they took at least several days to a week. Letters took two to three weeks to get the UK, even by airmail.

Today, July 14, 2010, marks the 50th anniversary of the day that Jane first stepped onto the shores of Lake Tanganyika to begin her pioneering chimpanzee research in what is now Gombe National Park. To celebrate this tremendous milestone, Jane is spending the month of July in Africa including time in Gombe, the site of her groundbreaking field study. Jane will enjoy today reflecting and celebrating with local members of Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots.