Are humans the only animals that practice medicine? In this episode, two scientists share surprising observations of orangutans and chimpanzees treating wounds–their own and others'–with plants and insects. These discoveries challenge ideas about uniquely human behaviors and offer insights into animal intelligence, empathy, and the evolutionary roots of medicine.

Origin Stories is a project of The Leakey Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and outreach. Sign up for our monthly newsletter to learn more about our work!

Videos

Rakus and his wound

Rakus doing a long call after being wounded

Chimp applying insect to wound

Caroline Schuppli on Lunch Break Science

Links to learn more

SUAQ Orangutan Program

Ozouga Chimpanzees (where Alessandra studies chimpanzee behavior)

Research papers

Active self-treatment of a facial wound with a biologically active plant by a male Sumatran orangutan (open access)

Application of insects to wounds of self and others by chimpanzees in the wild (pdf)

Credits

Origin Stories is a listener-supported show. Additional support comes from Jeanne Newman, , Camilla and George Smith, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.

Origin Stories is produced by Ray Pang. Our editor is Audrey Quinn. Theme music by Henry Nagle. Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions and Lee Roservere.

Over 50,000 years ago on what is now the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, someone climbed a towering rock formation and painted a mysterious image on a cave ceiling. The painting shows three half-human, half-animal figures and a large wild pig. The image, dated to 51,200 years old, is now the oldest known visual story in the world. In this episode, archaeologist Adam Brumm shares the story of this incredible discovery.

Help make more Origin Stories. We're $3,000 short of our quadruple-match fundraising goal and our deadline is August 31! Please donate today and your gift will be quadruple-matched! Click here to 4x your donation!

Origin Stories is a project of The Leakey Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and outreach.

Links to learn more:

• Google Arts and Culture virtual tour of the cave art site
• Narrative cave art in Indonesia by 51,200 years ago Nature, July 2024
• Adam Brumm's website
• Blog post by Adhi Oktaviana

Episode produced by Meredith Johnson and Ray Pang
Sound design by Ray Pang
Edited by Audrey Quinn

Theme music by Henry Nagle. Ending credit music by Lee Roservere. Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

Hungry for more science?

Lunch Break Science is The Leakey Foundation's web series featuring short talks and interviews with Leakey Foundation grantees. Episodes stream on the third Thursday of every month.

Click here to watch!

Early prehistorians had little more than stones and bones to work with as they tried to piece together the story of the Neanderthals, but today’s researchers work in ways that early prehistorians could never have imagined.

Archaeologist and author Rebecca Wragg Sykes' new book Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Art, and Death synthesizes more than a century of research on Neanderthals – from the first Neanderthal fossil discovered, to the most up to date and cutting edge research - revealing a vivid portrait of one of our most intriguing and misunderstood relatives.

Links

• Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death, and Art by Rebecca Wragg Sykes
• Rebecca Wragg Sykes' website
• Kindred bibliography with 61 pages of Neanderthal research papers
• Leakey Foundation grantee Carolina Mallol's Neanderthal Fire Project

The Leakey Foundation

Origin Stories is a project of The Leakey Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and outreach.

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