Becoming Human

Great apes, including chimpanzees and orangutans, have been observed using tools in the wild but until now tool use had not been observed in gorillas. Two new reports highlight the ability of gorillas to use tools in the wild. One report documents gorillas using sticks to test the depth of water and another report documents nut cracking behavior in a gorilla.

The genome of the chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes, has been sequenced. Several other species, including humans, have had their genomes sequenced previously.