Researchers said Rakus chewed the plant's leaves to produce a liquid that he smeared on the wound. 'His behavior appeared to be intentional,' they said. The wound closed within five days.
In June 2022, a male Sumatran orangutan named Rakus sustained a facial wound below the right eye, apparently during a fight with another male orangutan at the Suaq Balimbing research site, a protected rainforest area in Indonesia. What Rakus did three days later really caught the attention of scientists.
The wound never showed signs of infection and closed within five days, the researchers said."The observation suggests that the cognitive capacities that are needed for the behavior—active wound treatment with plants—may be as old as the last common ancestor of orangutans and humans," Schuppli said. "However, what these cognitive capacities exactly are remains to be investigated.
Primates Zoology Herbal Medicines Medicinal Plants News
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Singaporean researchers introduce peatland restoration techSenior principal researcher Alex Cobb says their method 'is a step toward reaching global climate goals while preserving biodiversity and preventing wildfires'
Read more »
Despite gains in Brazil, forest destruction still 'stubbornly' high — reportThe world lost 10 football fields of old-growth tropical forest every minute in 2023 and despite uplifting progress in the Amazon, the picture elsewhere is less rosy, researchers said on Thursday.
Read more »
Kermit the Fossil: Muppet inspires ancient amphibian speciesResearchers named an amphibian species of a 270 million-year-old fossil found 40 years ago after the famous Muppet character Kermit the Frog.
Read more »
Microsoft finds Russian influence operations targeting US election have begunRussia-linked accounts are disseminating divisive content aimed at US audiences, including criticizing American support of Ukraine in its war with Russia, Microsoft researchers say
Read more »
Climate change to cause $38 trillion a year in damages by 2049, says PIK | Laura MillanClimate change will inflict losses to the global economy worth an annual $38 trillion by 2049, as extreme weather ravages agricultural yields, harms labor productivity and destroys infrastructure, according to researchers at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).
Read more »
Microsoft teases lifelike avatar AI tech but gives no release dateResearchers at Microsoft have revealed a new artificial tool that can create deeply realistic human avatars -- but offered no timetable to make it available to the public, citing concerns about facilitating deep fake content.
Read more »