News Archive

Confined

Isolation led white-faced capuchin monkeys into the Stone Age

July 21, 2020

After 14 thousand years of living in confinement and without the threat of predators, the white-faced capuchin monkeys on the Coiba National Park islands have begun to exhibit behaviors that have not been recorded in the mainland populations. For example, they are highly terrestrial and have learned to use stones as tools. Listen to doctoral student in animal behavior and former STRI fellow,...

Time travel

Long-term consequences of river damming in the Panama Canal

July 10, 2020

As the demand for hydroelectricity and water increases in the tropics, a team of scientists explored the natural impacts of one of the oldest tropical dams in the world

Mision Manati

Science and technology for the conservation of manatees in Bocas del Toro and the Ngäbe-Buglé region

July 09, 2020

Manatees are endangered aquatic mammals. To help protect them, researchers Héctor Guzmán from STRI, Fernando Merchán, Héctor Poveda and Javier Sánchez-Galán from the Technological University of Panama (UTP), and Guillaume Ferré from ENSEIRB-MATMECA, developed a monitoring system based on hydrophones, which detects in real-time the underwater calls these animals make to communicate with each...

Ancient diseases

The trace of suffering, in the bones

July 02, 2020

Human remains used to be considered a nuisance in archaeological excavations. Today they are considered a valuable source of information to understand the ways of life of prehistoric populations and their conditions.

More to discover

New bird checklists from Jicarón and Jicarita Islands in Coiba National Park, Panama

July 01, 2020

A trip to Jicarón Island during the Coiba Bioblitz led to a published bird checklist.

Individual signatures

A new social role for echolocation in bats that hunt together

June 24, 2020

Socially foraging bats may find food faster by listening in to the search-phase calls of their group members

Farewell Dr. Larsen

Director Emeritus Matthew Larsen retires

June 19, 2020

The entire STRI community shares its gratitude with Dr. Larsen for his six years of service, for his leadership, kindness and the positive changes he has overseen.

Insect societies

Can social bees and ants teach us the pillars of sustainable societies?

June 18, 2020

STRI staff scientist and evolutionary biologist Bill Wcislo discusses the foibles of social bees and farming ants and the evolution of their behavior in changing environments. In a time of crisis, what can we learn from these insects about their highly efficient public health care systems?

Natural History

A book that brings us closer to the past, present and future of Panama's natural diversity

June 17, 2020

The scientific research that has been carried out for more than a century on the isthmus, reveals us details about the evolution of its ecosystems, from deep time until today.

Old Genes, New Traits

Recycling old genes to get new traits – How social behavior evolves in bees

June 10, 2020

Researchers learned from some unusual sweat bee species on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, how the sophisticated division of labor in highly complex insect societies can arise from humble beginnings.

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