If marmosets don’t like the sound of what their colleagues are saying, they will ignore them
Keystone / Goyang Police / Handout
Marmosets perceive interactions with fellow marmosets as contextualised conversations, according to Zurich researchers writing in the journal Science Advances. The small monkeys also draw conclusions from this, for example when choosing cooperative partners.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/ts
The team led by Rahel Brügger at the Institute of Anthropology at the University of Zurich conducted various experiments, studying the reactions of marmosets to various recorded sounds and cries. Their level of emotion was measured by facial thermography using infrared cameras.
The scientists found that marmosets are able to interpret the dialogues of their fellow marmosets. They use this information to distinguish between those who are cooperative and those who are not; uncooperative colleagues are ignored as a punishment, the university said on Wednesday.
Previous studies have shown that white-tailed marmosets recognise grammatical errors in other marmosets. They also adapt their dialect when they move to a new territory.
Marmosets, New World monkeys native to South America, engage in a high degree of joint rearing regarding their offspring as well as a certain willingness to share both food and information.
More
More
Research: building blocks of language have existed for 40 million years
This content was published on
Capacity for language may date back 30-40 million years, to the last common ancestor of monkeys, apes and humans, a Zurich University-led study shows.
This content was published on
The UN Human Rights Council approved the launch of this mechanism in Geneva on Friday, to be followed by an International Commission of Inquiry.
More than 100 wolves shot in Switzerland last year
This content was published on
Swiss hunters legally killed 101 wolves between February 1, 2024, and the end of January 2025. A further six died in accidents or from natural causes.
Swiss health office turns to Bluesky against backdrop of US censorship
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) has joined the Bluesky social network, while US President Donald Trump works with X owner Elon Musk to censor content on official US websites.
Biotech company BioVersys is first Swiss IPO of 2025
This content was published on
The Basel-based biotech company BioVersys made the first initial public offering (IPO) of the year in Switzerland on Friday.
Much more spent on Swiss motorway vote campaigns than budgeted
This content was published on
Opponents and supporters of motorway expansion spent over CHF10 million ($11 million) on their campaigns, around a third more than announced in November.
Swiss researchers monitor animal populations with AI microphone
This content was published on
Researchers in Lausanne are using an intelligent microphone to make the animal world audible. The microphone automatically records animal sounds over large areas and analyses them using AI.
Three employees of Swiss aid organisation killed in DRC
This content was published on
Three employees of the Swiss Protestant Reformed Church (Heks) have been killed in an attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They were on a humanitarian mission in the crisis region.
This content was published on
All our waters today are pure at source," Muriel Lienau, general manager of Nestlé Waters, told AFP after press revelations.
Switzerland concerned about impact of US withdrawal from WHO
This content was published on
Switzerland has expressed concern about the loss of American experts and the freezing of contracts due to the announced withdrawal of the US from the World Health Organization (WHO).
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Medieval monkey found in Basel loo
This content was published on
The complete skeleton of a Barbary macaque has been discovered in a medieval latrine in Basel. Archaeologists are talking of a “sensational find”.
This content was published on
Wild monkeys learn from dominant individuals in the group, regardless of gender, age or family ties, a Swiss study has found.
This content was published on
Newborns of three Latin-American monkey species – coppery titis, spider monkeys and cotton-top tamarins – have come into the world at Basel Zoo.
This content was published on
Goma, a 'happy and caring grandmother', has died. She was the first gorilla born in a European zoo, becoming a media celebrity.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.