Search


	Podcast:		Science Update Podcast – Daily Edition
	Episode:		Chimpanzee Nest Microbes
	Category:		Science & Medicine
	Duration:		00:00:00
	Publish Date:		2018-05-27 23:49:01
	Description:		BOB HIRSHON (host): The sleeping arrangements of apes. I’m Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update. Every night, chimpanzees build themselves a cozy nest to sleep in out of tree branches and leaves. Now, a microbial analysis reveals that, compared with human beds, chimpanzee nests are pretty darn clean. Scientists sampled 41 chimpanzee nests in Tanzania, according to University of Oslo primatologist Adriana Hernandez-Aguilar. They found that the nests harbored few skin or fecal bacteria – similar to the surrounding trees. In contrast, human beds are teaming with these microbes. ADRIANA HERNANDEZ-AGUILAR (University of Oslo): In a way you could say that human homes were more dirty than chimpanzee beds, which is not what most people will think. HIRSHON: Her team writes in Royal Society Open Science that our closest relatives likely avoid microbes by building a new nest every night, whereas sleeping in the same spot fills our beds with them. I’m Bob Hirshon, for AAAS, the science society. Story by Susanne Bard
	Total Play:		0