It’s time for another gallimaufry of primate news:
* In the photo at right, a 25-year-old orangutan named Knobi examines her new digs at the Great Ape Trust of Iowa.
* Having a dog or a cat to play with helps reduce stress levels, elevates mood, and may actually improve a sick patient’s chance of recovery, so [...]

Space.com is reporting that researchers at NASA believe they have found strong evidence that life may currently exist on Mars.
The scientists from the Ames Research Center believe that fluctuating methane signatures on the surface of the planet could indicate the presence of microbial life underground and in caves. This could be something similar to [...]

Since it’s Valentine’s Day, here’s a cute story about Lisa and Makoko, two gorillas at the Johannesburg Zoo.
Makoko, 19, moved from the Munster Zoo in Germany in November to keep 33-year-old Lisa company, after she lost her mate, Max, the crime-fighting ape. After several months of acclimation they’re finally being allowed in the same enclosure [...]

The New York Times (registration required, use bugmenot, or even better, their Firefox extension) has a couple of great stories today that are worth checking out.
First, in Evolution Takes a Back Seat in U.S. Classes, the Times looks at the disturbing trend of teachers leaving evolution out of their lessons –even though it’s on the [...]