skip to main content

The Kindness of Strangers, Chimpanzee Edition

Discover the generosity of chimpanzees highlighted in a groundbreaking study on their altruistic behavior.

Written byCarl Zimmer
| 1 min read
Follow on GoogleGoogle News Preferred Source
Placeholder image

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news

Sign Up

Placeholder image showing Earth from space with an alert icon and the message ‘This image is no longer available.’

In tomorrow's New York Times, I take a look at a new study on the generosity of chimpanzees. Check it out. (And also check out Ed Yong's take at Not Exactly Rocket Science.) [Image courtesy of Frans de Waal]

Meet the Author

More on Discover
Conservationists handle secretarybird chick at Chester Zoo

One of Africa's Rarest Birds Hatched 5 Chicks at Chester Zoo After Dad Stepped Up, a First in 95 Years

Station in Antarctica

Earth’s Coldest Temperature in 14 Years Recorded at Antarctica’s Concordia Station

Taylor Dry Valley in Antarctica

Blood Falls in Antarctica May Harbor Ancient Microbes, Preserving Traces of a Lost Ocean

Adult chimpanzee sitting, and smiling at the camera - do animals smile when happy?

Do Animals Smile Because They're Happy? Why a Grin in Nature Doesn't Always Mean What You Think

Camponotus nidulans ants infected found on Octoblepharum moss

This Freakish Fungus That Turns Ants into Zombies May Be Hiding Inside Amazon Mosses

pair of otters sticking their heads out of a river

River Otters Are Drowning Brown Pelicans at Point Reyes — and the Birds May Finally Be Catching On

Tomiyamichthys oriens new fish species

Fish Exporter Helps Reveal New Species Barely Over an Inch Long, With Yellow Flecks and Bright Orange Blotches

coiled Western hognose snake in an aquarium

80-Million-Year-Old Snake Fossil From Brazil Offers New Clues to Why These Creatures Started Slithering

Lateral view of the pale, eyeless Demon Cavefish, a new species discovered in Alabama’s Bobcat Cave.

A New Eyeless “Demon” Cavefish Species Lurked Undetected in an Alabama Cave for Decades

Sperm whales

Sleeping Sperm Whales Release Bubbles Up to 36 Times to Keep From Floating to the Surface

two Black-and-white ruffed lemurs in an enclosure

Tiny Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur Twins Born at Central Park Zoo Represent a Conservation Win for a Species in Decline

Two orcas above water

Orcas Make a Dead Sunfish Explode With a Coordinated Body Slam, Possibly to Feed Juveniles or Just Have Fun

Stay Curious

JoinOur List

Sign up for our weekly science updates

View our Privacy Policy

SubscribeTo The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Subscribe