Same-sex sexual behaviour could help some primates cope with complex social hierarchies. Plus, new clues as to where birds came from and the US Environmental Protection Agency will stop including human health in cost–benefit analyses.
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In golden snub-nosed monkeys, sexual interactions between individuals of the same sex seem to fortify social bonds. Credit: Thomas Marent/Nature Picture Library
Sexual behaviour between primates of the same sex is part of the normal lives of some species and could play an important part in their long-term success. Researchers identified instances of same-sex sexual behaviour in 59 species of non-human primate, and suggest that it might be a response to harsh environments, predation and complex social hierarchies. “A lot of people have long regarded same-sex behaviour as an accident, or rare,” says evolutionary biologist and study co-author Vincent Savolainen. But “it’s part of the normal social life of primates”.
Nature | 4 min read
Reference: Nature Ecology & Evolution paper
Almost £5 million ($6.6 million) will be spent stashing contraceptive-laden hazelnut butter in special squirrel feeders to suppress the population of invasive grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) in the United Kingdom. Researchers have been working on a world-first contraceptive for grey squirrels and a prototype feeder that allows heavy greys to access the buttery bait, but prevents lighter red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) from getting inside. If it works, the approach could be cheaper and more effective than culling at protecting the country’s much loved rodents.
The Economist | 4 min read (free registration required)
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will reverse decades of policy and stop including human health in cost–benefit analyses when setting air-pollution limits, reports The New York Times. Instead, the agency will only tally the cost to industry of regulating two of the most widespread toxic pollutants: fine PM2.5 particulate matter and ozone. “The idea that EPA would not consider the public health benefits of its regulations is anathema to the very mission of EPA,” says legal scholar Richard Revesz.
The New York Times | 8 min read
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