Imagine you are a white-faced capuchin monkey on Jicarón island learning how to use stone tools 🔨 Your mother does not use tools, so who do you turn to as a model? Our new manuscript answering this question is out now in Animal Behaviour @asab.org. doi.org/10.1016/j.an.... A 🧵 of our findings (1/10)

1/ The world's songbirds sing in just 8 basic sounds. And where a bird lives decides which ones it uses. My first PhD paper is out now in @science.org (www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aee6239) Here is what we found:

Registration and abstract submission for the joint ASAB-PSGB winter meeting in Edinburgh (December 8th - 10th) will be opening on the 1st of July! The theme is Social Learning and Culture. More details about the meeting and registration at: asabpsgbwinter.github.io//2026/

Glad to see the first article of my PhD as a pre-print ! 📖 We discuss about what social affordances black crested macaques may perceive and use to guide their approach decision ➡️ www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... @fbeurrier.bsky.social @connectthedots.bsky.social @neuroprimato.bsky.social

A Social Affordance Framework for Understanding Approach Decisions in Wild Crested Macaques (Macaca nigra)

Approaching conspecifics is a fundamental component of social interactions. Such decisions are typically investigated through the study of social relationships (e.g., kinship, dominance, affiliation) ...

biorxiv.org

The University of Exeter is not in budget deficit. Yet are proposing to cut 150 academic jobs. This include my job. Please sign and share the petition, write our Vice Chancellor, to your MP, and get the word out about the act of self harm this university is about to commit. c.org/yKcx6Zr29H

This campaign needs you now

Stop Redundancies at the University of Exeter

c.org

Have a look at the final publication here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... Turns out (and I know we've all suspected it) chimp culture may be way broader and richer than 39 behaviors. 😉

Chimpanzee culture beyond the conspicuous: Evidence for broad-scale observational social learning in wild individuals

Wild chimpanzee cultures have traditionally been studied through group-level comparisons of a limited set of conspicuous skills. The cultural relevanc…

sciencedirect.com

Michael Haslam@twigtechnology.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Brilliant new study (preprint) led by @noraslania.bsky.social on how wild eastern chimpanzees observe each other. 'Peering'—or close-range attentive observation—happens in all kinds of contexts and esp. for young chimps, opening the door to new cultural traits 🧪👀 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Call for Papers Who chooses whom – and why? From #Birds and #Primates to #Humans and other species, #Attraction and #PartnerChoice influence how #Relationships begin, develop and endure. Yet researchers often study these processes within separate disciplinary and species-specific traditions.

Social structure as a form of collective intelligence In our framework, we argue that social structure is a form of collective intelligence shaped by and shaping individual decision-making Out now in @royalsocietypublishing.org w/ J Brooker, E van Leeuwen royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/article...

Social structure as a form of collective intelligence: a new framework

Abstract. Collective intelligence arises when group-level cognition exceeds the capabilities of individual members, enabling more effective learning, decis

royalsocietypublishing.org

📢Fully-funded #PhD opportunity with us: 🐦 Quantifying (social) learning and social behaviour in an urbanised world 🐦 Position at @ceec-research.bsky.social 📆29th May deadline More info: tinyurl.com/yz28s96x Apply: tinyurl.com/2wpkb64y #cognition #socialbehaviour #fieldwork #birds 🙏Please Share

Claudia Fichtel (@kirindy.bsky.social) is offering a two-year Postdoc position to study social cognition in wild lemurs at the Kirindy Forest Research Station www.dpz.eu/karriere/ste...

Finally, Julia Fischer (@julxf.bsky.social) at the @primatenzentrum.bsky.social is looking for a motivated field research assistant to join her team at the Simenti Field Site in Senegal to study Guinea baboons www.dpz.eu/karriere/ste...

📢Fully-funded #PhD opportunity with us ❓Quantifying animal #movement patterns & behavioural #interactions in a changing world 👥Joint position in @bristolbiosci.bsky.social & #MacquarieUniversity 📆19th April deadline tinyurl.com/343acaev #maths #modelling #data #fieldwork #Australia 🙏PLEASE SHARE

What I find particularly striking is the within-species between-group variation in rates of observed aggression... #BioAnth 🧪 doi.org/10.1126/scia...

New great paper from my friends and colleagues‼️ Pan species may be more similar than previously thought... 👀 Congrats @emilebryon.bsky.social on your first 1st authored paper 👏🍻 Check it out👇

Emile Bryon@emilebryon.bsky.social · 5mo ago

New publication, and first one as a first author for me! 🥳 Have you heard of the brutal chimpanzee and "hippie" bonobo dichotomy? ☠️🕊️ Today, we report similar aggression magnitudes in 22 captive chimpanzees and bonobos groups - be it all aggression or restricted to contact.

Can't believe the Culture Conference 2026 is already finished! I am happy and proud to have organised it in Utrecht 2 years in a row with my colleagues and friends from the PriCog team 🙌 and I hope the attendees and presenters enjoyed it as much as we did 🎉 See you next year in a new location 👋

Culture Conference@cultconf.bsky.social · 6mo ago

That's a wrap on the Culture Conference 2026! 🎉 Three days packed with fascinating ideas and research, and the kind of conversations you don't want to end. Thank you to every speaker—talks and posters alike—and to every attendee who joined us in Utrecht or online. You made it unforgettable! 🤩

What a pre-conference workshop on Bayesian statistical methods—a powerful toolkit for our community! 📊 Many thanks to Daniel Redhead and Ramona Roller for guiding us through STRAND and to Michael Chimento for the introduction to STbayes. And thank you to all participants for their energy! 🙌

#Postdoc #Job opportunity in #AnimalBehaviour with Jorg Massen at @utrechtuniversity.bsky.social. Check out the position here: www.uu.nl/en/organisat...

Postdoc Position in Animal Behaviour

Does intergroup conflict shape intragroup (parochial) prosociality in primates? If so, what behavioural, neuroendocrine, and (epi)genetic mechanisms drive it.

uu.nl

The Culture Conference 2026 is already starting next week! 🥳 If you plan to attend in-person, please register ‼️before Sunday 22/02‼️ We are almost full, so don’t wait 😊 Online registration will remain open 💻 See you next week in Utrecht 🌇 To register:👇 culture-conference.com/registration/

Registration

Registrations for the conference and the pre-conference workshop are now OPEN! Register for the conference (26-27/02): Culture Conference 2026 – Registration form Register for the worksh…

culture-conference.com

The Culture Conference 2026 programme is out! 🎉 From keynotes to talks and posters, we are excited to share a diverse and interdisciplinary lineup. A big thank you to all contributors. With the conference coming up in two weeks, we’re very much looking forward to welcoming you in Utrecht 🙌

If you want to get hands-on experience using STBayes, come join the Culture Conference workshop, animated by @mchimento.bsky.social! 👉 culture-conference.com/workshop/

Methods in Ecology and Evolution@methodsinecoevol.bsky.social · 7mo ago

New blog post!!🚨 Michael Chimento gives an overview of the new R package STbayes, designed for creating, fitting and understanding Bayesian models of social transmission 🌍 🧪 Read the blog here 👇

New blog post!!🚨 Michael Chimento gives an overview of the new R package STbayes, designed for creating, fitting and understanding Bayesian models of social transmission 🌍 🧪 Read the blog here 👇

Studying social transmission using STbayes

Post provided by Michael Chimento. When studying animal culture, it’s important to establish whether novel behaviours or information have spread through social contact, or are rather innovated or p…

buff.ly

Join us for a few drinks in Utrecht just before the conference! 🙌🍻

Culture Conference@cultconf.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Want to socialise ahead of the conference? Join the Early Career Researchers drinks on the evening of 25th/02! 🍻 An excellent opportunity to meet fellow researchers in a relaxed way. Contact us to join. Reminder: conference and workshop registration is still open (forms on our website) 🔎

Happy New Year from the Culture Conference organisers 🎉 We wish you a year filled with kindness, curiosity, and fruitful research. We still have a few spots available for presentations. Feel free to send us your abstract if you’d like to share your work with us in February!

Registrations are now open 📢 Want to join the conference and/or the workshop? Head to our website: culture-conference.com/registration/ As every year, attendance at the conference is free 🎉 (the workshop has a small fee). Reminder: Abstract submission closes soon—submit yours before Monday!

Registration

Registrations for the conference and the pre-conference workshop are now OPEN! Register for the conference (26-27/02): Culture Conference 2026 – Registration form Register for the workshop (2…

culture-conference.com

Still 10 days to submit your abstract 👇👇

Culture Conference@cultconf.bsky.social · 9mo ago

The Culture Conference is (once again) indulging in that grand old tradition of EXTENDING the submission deadline‼️ The new deadline for abstract submissions is December 15th. Registration will open very soon—stay tuned! culture-conference.com/abstract-sub...

‼️Reminder‼️ 5 days left to submit an abstract and come present your work in Utrecht in February for the Culture Conference 2026! 👇

Culture Conference@cultconf.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Only a few days left before abstract submission closes! Don’t forget to submit your work 👉 culture-conference.com/abstract-sub...

🔔 New paper out on Social evaluation of skill and competence in primates @mariehirel.bsky.social, @williamohearn.bsky.social and @julxf.bsky.social made this happen www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Social evaluation of skill and competence in primates

Social life is a continuous interplay of observing and interacting with conspecifics, predicting their behavior, and responding to their actions. This…

sciencedirect.com

Come join this exciting workshop on social network analysis and social transmission, all within a Bayesian framework!! 💻 And many thanks to @danielredhead.bsky.social and @mchimento.bsky.social for conducting it, I'm looking forward 🤩 More information below 👇

Culture Conference@cultconf.bsky.social · 9mo ago

⏰ Reminder: 10 days left to submit your abstract for Culture Conference 2026! 🧠 Workshop details are now live! Join us for a hands-on day on cutting-edge tools for analysing social networks & social transmission (registration opens soon). Find all details here: culture-conference.com/workshop/

Come and join our lab! We have TWO fully funded PhD positions AND a paid field assistant opportunity in our Behavioral Ecology group @uni-goettingen.de & @primatenzentrum.bsky.social. Projects will be part of @rtg2906-curiosity.bsky.social & @sfb1528.bsky.social!! Details in thread. Please re-post!

Excited to present next year among this wonderful group!

Culture Conference@cultconf.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Meet our 3rd keynote: Dr. Erin Wessling! Her work connects research on Pan behavioural ecology with conservation practice, with a focus on understanding and protecting chimpanzee cultures. Learn more about Erin’s work 👉 erinwessling.com