Non-Human Primates Content

Monkeys' Stone Tool Use Gives Insight into Archaeology

Andy Fell — April 19, 2024 - 12:58pm

51�ԹϺ�� Davis anthropologists are studying the stone age of capuchin monkeys living on tropical islands off Panama. This 'primate archaeology' is a new approach to archaeology which could give insight into how our own ancestors started using stone tools.

Zika Infection in Pregnant Macaques Slows Fetal Growth

Andy Fell — October 25, 2023 - 11:00am

Zika virus infection in pregnant rhesus macaques slows fetal growth and affects how infants and mothers interact in the first month of life, according to a new study from researchers at the California National Primate Research Center at the University of California, Davis. The work, published Oct. 25 in Science Translational Medicine, has implications for both humans exposed to Zika virus and for other viruses that can cross the placenta, including SARS-CoV2, responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Report on Heat-Related Primate Death Sent to Regulators

Andy Fell — September 15, 2023 - 9:30am

The University of California, Davis, is submitting an external reviewer’s report to federal regulators following the heat-related death of a rhesus macaque after being transported in a university van.

COVID-19 Virus Infects Neurons, Induces Inflammation in the Brains of Rhesus Macaques

Andy Fell — October 13, 2022 - 11:00am

SARS-CoV-2, the COVID-19 virus, caused significant neuron damage and inflammation within a week of infection in rhesus macaque monkeys, according to a new study. The researchers from the California National Primate Research Center at the University of California, Davis, also discovered that aged monkeys with Type 2 diabetes experienced worse virus-induced neurological damage. The findings, published in Cell Reports Oct.

No Time to Nap in Nature

Andy Fell — March 02, 2022 - 9:15am

The first study ever to examine sleeping behavior in a wild group of primates has challenged a central tenet of sleep science: that we must make up for lost sleep. Even after sleeping poorly, wild baboons still spent time on other priorities, such as socializing with group-mates or looking out for predators, rather than catching up on lost sleep.

Rhesus Macaques Develop Promising Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2

Andy Fell — January 22, 2021 - 7:45am

In a promising result for the success of vaccines against COVID-19, rhesus macaque monkeys infected with the human coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 developed protective immune responses that might be reproduced with a vaccine. The work was carried out at the California National Primate Research Center at the University of California, Davis, and is published Jan. 22 in the journal Nature Communications.

51�ԹϺ�� Davis Researchers Race to Develop Coronavirus Solutions

Andy Fell — March 19, 2020 - 2:20pm

Clinical pathologists, infectious disease physicians and scientists at the 51�ԹϺ�� Davis Medical Center, School of Medicine, California National Primate Research Center and Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases are collaborating on new reagents, diagnostic tests and a vaccine for the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Zika Vaccine Protects Fetus in Pregnant Monkeys

Andy Fell — December 18, 2019 - 11:00am

An experimental vaccine against the Zika virus reduced the amount of virus in pregnant rhesus macaques and improved fetal outcomes. The work could help support development and approval of the experimental Zika DNA vaccine VRC5283, which is currently in early stage trials in humans. The results are published Dec. 18 in Science Translational Medicine.

Brain Molecule Identified as Key in Anxiety Model

Andy Fell — August 14, 2019 - 11:36am

Boosting a single molecule in the brain can change “dispositional anxiety,” the tendency to perceive many situations as threatening, in nonhuman primates, researchers from the University of California, Davis, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found. The molecule, neurotrophin-3, stimulates neurons to grow and make new connections.

Vasopressin a Possible Biomarker for Social Deficits in Autism

Andy Fell — May 02, 2018 - 11:52am

One of the characteristics of children with autism spectrum disorder is reduced social ability. It’s difficult to study the possible causes of social impairment in children, but a new study shows that rhesus macaques with low sociability also had low levels of the peptide vasopressin in cerebrospinal fluid, as did children with autism spectrum disorder.