Blaine Higgs 'furious' over sexual education presentation
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has shared his anger on social media over a presentation in at least four high schools.
Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behaviour has been documented.
Rakus, a male Sumatran orangutan, treated a wound on his face by chewing leaves from a climbing plant named Akar Kuning and repeatedly applying the juice to it, according to a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports on Thursday.
Rakus then covered the wound with the chewed up leaves, which are used in traditional medicine to treat illnesses like dysentery, diabetes and malaria, said scientists.
Study lead author Isabelle Laumer, a post-doctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, told CNN that the team were “very excited” by their observations, which took place in June 2022 in the Suaq Balimbing research area in Gunung Leuser National Park, Indonesia.
Although other wild primate species are known to swallow, chew or rub themselves with plants that have medicinal properties, scientists have never seen them used to treat recent wounds.
The team believe that Rakus intentionally used the plant to treat his wound as he applied it repeatedly in a process that researchers say took several minutes.
“This possibly innovative behaviour presents the first report of active wound management with a biological active plant in a great ape species,” she said.
Left: Fibraurea tinctoria leaves, with lengths between 15 to 17 cm. Right: Rakus feeding on these leaves. Photo taken June 26, the day after applying the plant mesh to the wound (Nature.com / Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence)
Researchers believe that Rakus most likely sustained the wound in a fight with another male orangutan, which are rare in the area thanks to “high food availability, high social tolerance between orangutans and relatively stable social hierarchies,” Laumer explained.
This means that orangutans rarely suffer wounds, giving researchers few opportunities to observe this behaviour.
As for how Rakus would have learned how to treat a wound, one possibility is “accidental individual innovation,” said Laumer.
The orangutan may have touched his wound accidentally while feeding on the plant and felt immediate pain relief due to its analgesic – pain relieving – effects, making him repeat the behaviour, she explained.
Another possible explanation is that Rakus learned how to treat a wound from other orangutans in the area where he was born, said Laumer.
The observation “provides new insights into the existence of self-medication in our closest relatives and in the evolutionary origins of wound medication more broadly,” added Laumer, raising the possibility that wound treatment may originate in a common ancestor shared by humans and orangutans.
Researchers plan to closely observe any other wounded orangutans in the area to see if the behaviour is repeated, said Laumer, who added that the findings underline the commonalities between humans and orangutans.
“We are more similar than different,” she said. “We hope this study raises awareness on their critically endangered status in the wild.”
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has shared his anger on social media over a presentation in at least four high schools.
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
Grayson Murray's parents said Sunday their 30-year-old son took his own life, just one day after he withdrew from a PGA Tour event.
Real quick — what did you have for lunch yesterday? Were you with anyone? Where were you? Can you picture the scene? The ability to remember things that happened to you in the past, especially to go back and recall little incidental details, is a hallmark of what psychologists call episodic memory — and new research indicates that it’s an ability humans may share with birds called Eurasian jays.
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.
A young driver received a hefty fine from Laval police after they say he was driving nearly 100 km/h over the posted speed limit.
The start of the Indianapolis 500 was delayed as a strong storm pushed through the area Sunday, forcing Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials to evacuate about 125,000 fans who had already arrived for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza that set off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv for the first time in months on Sunday in a show of resilience more than seven months into Israel's massive air, sea and ground offensive.
Powerful storms killed at least 13 people and left a wide trail of destruction Sunday across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after obliterating homes and destroying a truck stop where dozens sought shelter in a restroom during the latest deadly weather to strike the central U.S.
When one is extended an invitation to the Royal Garden Party in London, England, there's undoubtedly no shortage of pomp and circumstance. Barrie, Ont. natives Megan Kirk Chang and her husband Brandon experienced just that as they entered the prestigious event hosted at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
An unlikely celebrity emerged from social media to cheer on the Edmonton Oilers as they face the Dallas Stars tonight in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
The proprietors of Regina's sole discount theatre are aware they're carrying on a significant legacy.
When Jujhar Mann said he wanted to be a pastry chef on a grade school career project, he didn't imagine that pursuing his dream would land him on a popular Netflix baking competition.
A city known for its history, ties to outer space and southern barbecue, is also home to a Winnipeg chef dishing out dozens of perogies.
A Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
Public libraries in Atlantic Canada are now lending a broader range of items.
Flashes of purple darting across the sky mixed with the serenading sound of songs will be noticed more with spring in full force in Manitoba.
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.