iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Great apes reassure one another to maintain the peace Our new study shows that friendly touch before stressful events, like embracing, patting and even kissing, promotes tolerance and peace in chimpanzees and bonobos. Some BBC coverage 🙂 open-access paper below! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Great Apes kiss and cuddle to keep the peace, says study

Hugging before stressful events may be an ancient way of building trust, say scientists studying apes.

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Social structure as a form of collective intelligence In our framework, we argue that social structure is a form of collective intelligence shaped by and shaping individual decision-making Out now in @royalsocietypublishing.org w/ J Brooker, E van Leeuwen royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/article...

royalsocietypublishing.org

Social structure as a form of collective intelligence: a new framework

Abstract. Collective intelligence arises when group-level cognition exceeds the capabilities of individual members, enabling more effective learning, decis

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Prof. Gillian Brown @gillianrbrown1.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Great talk by @zannaclay.bsky.social on optimal maternal sensitivity in wild bonobos, presented at @ehbea2026.bsky.social in Leiden, Netherlands. #ehbea2026

Photo of speaker standing in front of screen with PowerPoint slide.

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Great to speak at the BPS Student conference North-East- giving local high school students a chance to discover where Psychology can take you. I shared about my research on great apes, children and the origins of empathy. Bonobos went down well! @bpsofficial.bsky.social @durhampsych.bsky.social

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

I just emailed a work colleague to thank them for something, but rather than writing "Thank you so much" - I signed off "Thank you smooch"! 🫣 not my most professional of sign-offs, darned autotype!

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

EMPATHY: In a new article out in Behaviour "The Evolutionary & Developmental Origins of Empathy: Honouring Frans de Waal’s Legacy", I consider how processes like mimicry, contagion and early social experiences shape later social-emotional development. #OpenAccess here👉: brill.com/view/journal...

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

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Wendel van der Sluis @wendelvandersluis.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

Empathy spans species and begins early in life. In The Evolutionary & Developmental Origins of Empathy: Honouring Frans de Waal’s Legacy, @zannaclay.bsky.social shows how mimicry, contagion & early social experiences shape later social-emotional development. Read #OpenAccess: doi.org/10.1163/1568...

Zanna Clay with Frans de Waal at the Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary, DR Congo (2019), as part of their long-term study on bonobo socio-emotional development.

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

A new study in @nature.com demonstrates the prevalence of same-sex sexual behaviour in primates (59 species) and its possible ecological and social functions. My comments on the study feature at the end of this coverage in @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/science/2026...?

theguardian.com

Primates’ same-sex sexual behaviour ‘may reinforce bonds amid environmental stress’

Behaviour among non-human species could help keep groups together in face of social challenges, says study

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

Next Friday 24th October at 1pm, I will be giving my Inugural Lecture! All are extremely welcome. If you would like to attend online (or in person), please can you complete this form? Then I can send you a meeting link and/or if you'd like the recording forms.gle/UZmAMt5VXNZN...

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Andra Meneganzin @andrameneganzin.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

@zannaclay.bsky.social delivering the first Frans de Waal lecture at #CBEN in Antwerp. Terrific talk on the evolution of empathy and a fantastic homage to Frans de Waal's work and legacy. #evosky #philsky #animalbehaviour 🧪

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

Woo new paper! Cross-cultural investigation into maternal responses to infant distress How babies are soothed may be more important than how quickly, which vary cross-culturally w/Carlo Vreden & team in #DevelopmentalPsychology! Open-access link + thread 👇 psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/202...

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

Durham Psychology is hiring! The department is seeking to appoint an Assistant Professor in forensic psychology, woo! Come join us, we're a friendly and vibrant dept and Durham is beautiful! Please see info here and reach out with any Qs. durham.taleo.net/careersectio...

durham.taleo.net

Assistant Professor (Research %26 Education)

Click the link provided to see the complete job description.

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Max Colbert @mc00.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

This is one of the best ideas I've heard in ages.

Reddit post on r/technology about young people and AI: "I recently heard about a teacher who instead of trying to circumvent students using AI, which is impossible, she made assignments by going "ask ChatGPT to write a report on this subject, and then research how and why it's wrong".

Not only did the students discover that ChatGPT is extremely wrong a lot of the time, it also lead them to realise that they should not use it as a primary source".

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scienceartnews.bsky.social @scienceartnews.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

A study by @zannaclay.bsky.social, Carlo Vreden suggests that babies possess a powerful capacity for empathy long before they can walk or talk.As babies grow and develop, this sensitivity can develop into a deeper understanding of others' emotions and the motivation to care for them. 1/2 @psyche.co

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scienceartnews.bsky.social @scienceartnews.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

Changes in facial skin temperature are measured using thermal imaging, which can help scientists better understand underlying emotional states. Research paper is published in the @psyche.co Image provided by developmental psychologists @zannaclay.bsky.social and Carlo Vreden. 2/2

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

This looks brilliant topic wise- Though it's a pity that only 2 of the 10 speakers are women. There are so many great women scientists who could have provided excellent contributions for a more balanced programme - @asab.org

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🎃Autopsy of Ashley Lynch 🔪🎞️ @ashleylynch.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

WeTransfer just changed their TOS giving themselves permission to train AI on any content you transfer and produce derivative works based on content you transfer that they are allowed to monetize and you are not allowed payment for. Stop using WeTransfer.

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

Social determinants of health: A reanalysis shows that the link between maternal sociality and infant survival in Amboseli baboons is actually driven by state-dependent changes in maternal social behaviour I missed this when it came out, so sharing in case you did too www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...

pnas.org

Reevaluating the relationship between female sociality and infant survival in wild baboons | PNAS

Over the past few decades, studies have provided strong evidence that the robust links between the social environment, health, and survival found i...

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Dan Baldassarre @evornithology.bsky.social · 02/06/2025

Birds as pride flags, meticulously researched by my wonderful student Griffin ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 Rainbow flag: Eastern Rosella 📷 David Irving, eBird

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 02/06/2025

Some fancy chocs arrived to thank me for my review for the Branco Weiss Fellowship, very thoughtful The Swiss do things better 😊

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Alisa Bokulich @alisabokulich.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

Remembering the time I threw a geology-paleontology themed Bday party for the kids. Filled a kiddie pool with sand, real fossils & rocks, then had the kids dig & ID their finds for Geo-Paleo Bingo. Ended by exploding a giant Coke & Mentos volcano at the dig site. 😅 #AcademicParents

Over a dozen 9 year old & younger kids around a sandbox with a large papier-mâché volcano in center.

A Geo-Paleo-BINGO card with boxes for
Fossil Dinosaur Bone
Gypsum Rosettes
Apatite
Rose Quartz
Pyrite
Brachiopod Fossil
Jasper/Agate Arrowhead (yes one archaeology find, & I did explain differences btwn geology, paleontology, & archaeology to kids)
Ammonite Fossil
Pumice

Dig Into Rocks & Fossils pocket booklets for kids to ID their finds (they got to keep the booklets & finds)

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

Last year, Charity, one of my research assistants in Uganda, faced the terrible life challenge of having her leg amputated. We've been supporting her, but she is now at critical point in her rehabilitation and needs more support. Anything you can give will help www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding...

justgiving.com

Help raise £600 to support the recovery journey of Charity, an amputee in Uganda – JustGiving Crowdfunding

Iʼm raising money to support the recovery journey of Charity, an amputee in Uganda. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

Here's an article we did for @theconversation.com about our new study looking at #empathy in chimpanzees and bonobos, and why we need to move beyond stereotypes theconversation.com/our-ape-cous...

theconversation.com

Our ape cousins show us empathy has deep evolutionary roots – new research

It may be time to move on from species stereotypes.

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

New paper alert! - number 2 Social contagion underpins key elements of social interaction, including empathy & social learning. Here, we review research on primate social contagion and offer a unifying framework available open-access! 👇👇 w/ Georgia Sandars www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

sciencedirect.com

Social contagion in primates: Moderating factors and significance for individuals and the group

Social contagion, which involves behavioural and emotional state matching, is a crucial process for healthy social functioning. In humans as well as o…

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

New paper alert! Bonobos are often cited as the 'most empathic ape' yet a comparison to their chimp cousins has never been done. So we directly compared their consolation tendencies We found big overlaps between the two species plus considerable within-species variation open-access link below!

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Durham Psychology @durhampsych.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

📣We are hiring! Join us as a Career Development Fellow, full-time, fixed-term post from this September. To read more and apply 👉 bit.ly/42XI93k Deadline 22nd May. #academicjobs #psychology #psychologyjobs

bit.ly

Career Development Fellowship

Click the link provided to see the complete job description.

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

The loss of a legend- Kanzi, the language-competent bonobo, has died age 44. Kanzi was exceptional in so many ways and offered us profound insights into the linguistic & cognitive capacities of great apes. He has taught us so much and will be hugely missed. www.apeinitiative.org/remembering-...

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

Annual Conference of the Cognition, Behavior and Evolution Network in Antwerp, September 18-19, 2025 With keynotes by @zannaclay.bsky.social, Koen Margodt, and Leda Cosmides. Submission deadline May 1 www.uantwerpen.be/en/about-uan...

uantwerpen.be

Annual Conference of the Cognition & Behavior Evolution Network 2025 | Social Sciences | University of Antwerp

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Sinead English @englishse.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

It was wonderful to host @zannaclay.bsky.social for our @bristolbiosci.bsky.social seminar this week - fascinating research on the origins of empathy, w/ experimental data from great apes and cross-cultural studies of human infants. Such an interesting topic and provoked lots of discussion after!

Researcher Zanna Clay presenting title slide of her talk on the origins of empathy

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

Inside the sex lives of chimpanzees: like humans and other species, it’s about much more than just reproduction New piece in @ConversationUK about our new @royalsociety research study on the social role of sex in chimps and bonobos. @durhampsych.bsky.social theconversation.com/inside-the-s...

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

Despite assumptions of bonobos as sexy hippies and chimps as aggressive, we found that both species overlap in their use of sex to navigate social problems and repair social bonds Coverage from the @newscientist about our new study published in @royalsociety www.newscientist.com/article/2470...

newscientist.com

Chimps and bonobos relieve social tension by rubbing their genitals

When competition for food is high, both chimps and bonobos sometimes rub their genitals together to cope

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

New paper alert! Sex and strife in our closest ape relatives Our paper in @RSocPublishing shows that bonobos and chimpanzees overlap in their use of sex during social tension -w Jake Brooker and coauthors inc the late Frans de Waal, his last paper royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

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Chris Simms @chrisnsimms.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Bonobos have long been renowned for the way they use sexual behaviour in their societies. Now eye-opening work by researchers including @zannaclay.bsky.social shows that chimpanzees also use a rich repertoire of sexual behaviour to manage their social lives www.newscientist.com/article/2470...

newscientist.com

Chimps and bonobos relieve social tension by rubbing their genitals

When competition for food is high, both chimps and bonobos sometimes rub their genitals together to cope

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

Heading back to Uganda today! For this trip, we are fundraising to support children's education in the community where we conduct research. Most families cannot secondary school fees and the primary school desperately needs resources. Thanks for any donation! www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding...

justgiving.com

Help raise £1500 to Support the education and lives of children in rural Uganda

Iʼm raising money to Support the education and lives of children in rural Uganda. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.

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Ellen Roche @ellroche.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

“Overall, our results support the view that infants within the first year of life experience emotional contagion in response to peer distress, an effect that is not just explained by the aversive nature of the stimuli.” Interesting methods from @zannaclay.bsky.social & co on infant emotion contagion

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 08/08/2024

This year, we tragically lost a giant of our field- Frans de Waal. Not only a brilliant thinker, Frans was, above all, an incredibly supportive and enabling mentor. In this piece, now out in Am J Primatology, we reflect on Frans, our mentor onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

In memory of our mentor: Frans de Waal (1948–2024)

The world lost a towering figure when primatologist Frans de Waal passed away on March 14, 2024. Many are aware of his multitude of contributions to the field. His ability to see what animals were ac...

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 29/05/2024

Biology has lost one of its greatest thinkers - Frans de Waal I was asked to write a short piece for the NeurosciBiobehav Revs to mark his passing and collosal impact- link should be open access but alternative if not Frans is so greatly missed www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

sciencedirect.com

Frans de Waal – A pioneer who shone a light on the primate mind

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Zanna Clay @zannaclay.bsky.social · 28/11/2023

Biggest congratulations to Fanny Minesi- Director of Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary & Ekolo Bonobo Reintroduction project- for winning the prestigious Tusk Award for Conservationin Africa! Fanny works tirelessly for the conservation of bonobos in the DR Congo. Bravo! www.tuskawards.com/fanny-minesi...

tuskawards.com

2023 Fanny Minesi

Donate to support conservation heroes. Donate TUSK AWARD FOR CONSERVATION IN AFRICA RECIPIENT 2023 Fanny Minesi Democratic Republic of the Congo Fanny Minesi rescues endangered bonobos from p...

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