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Sasha Winkler

@sashawinkler

Postdoctoral researcher at Duke University | PhD in bioanth from UCLA | primate behavior, communication, social bonds, emotions & learning. Based in Portland, Oregon and Durham, NC

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22.09.2023
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Latest posts by Sasha Winkler @sashawinkler

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A new theme issue of #PhilTransB examines the mechanisms of learning from social interaction. Read articles for free: buff.ly/K8v43YM

05.02.2026 14:19 πŸ‘ 38 πŸ” 15 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1
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Playful teasing involves one individual pestering, harassing or provoking another in a playful manner. Does playful teasing help great apes learn about social relationships? doi.org/10.1098/rstb... #PhilTransB #AnimalBehaviour #cognition

09.02.2026 11:18 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Does playful teasing help great apes learn about social relationships? Abstract. Understanding social relationships is critical to succeeding in primate societies. In species with complex social networks (including humans), co

Great apes may use playful teasing to learn about their social relationships. In a new paper, Erica Cartmill & I propose a bond-testing hypothesis for ape teasing. Out today in Phil Trans Biology: royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/article...

06.02.2026 18:37 πŸ‘ 10 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Socially integrated female chimpanzees have lower offspring mortality In humans and other social mammals, more socially connected females often have higher fitness. Yet evidence linking female sociality to offspring surv…

We have a new paper out in @cp-iscience.bsky.social reporting that more socially integrated female chimpanzees have lower offspring mortality πŸ§ͺ #evosky #primates #primatology #anthropology www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

01.07.2025 23:35 πŸ‘ 73 πŸ” 29 πŸ’¬ 5 πŸ“Œ 2

Hahah I definitely don't remember saying that but I love the AI analogy πŸ˜‚

28.06.2025 19:56 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Bonobos playing, CC BY-SA 2.0 Eric Kilby

Bonobos playing, CC BY-SA 2.0 Eric Kilby

My new paper, "Bonobos tend to behave optimistically after hearing laughter” is out! We found that bonobos were more likely to expect rewards after hearing same-species laughter, suggesting that the sound puts them in a good mood. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

28.06.2025 19:47 πŸ‘ 24 πŸ” 8 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

Some exciting news - I’m joining the Pontzer lab at Duke as a postdoc! I’ll be researching energetics and behavior in baboons, collaborating with folks at the Amboseli Baboon Project 😊 @amboselibaboonrp.bsky.social
@duke-university.bsky.social

12.06.2025 02:30 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Check out this video on our new research! πŸ”ŠπŸ’
@lucapedruzzi.bsky.social @ethos-research.bsky.social
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

16.05.2025 07:57 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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How are humans able to make sense of time? Not with special biology but with β€œtime tools”—ideas, practices, and artifacts that render time more concrete.

My new paper explores this vast, varied toolkitβ€”one that makes use of knots, nuts, hands, flowers, mountains, shadows, and much more.

(link πŸ‘‡)

02.05.2025 16:51 πŸ‘ 95 πŸ” 37 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 1
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Human ostension enhances attentiveness but not performance in domestic pigs - Scientific Reports Scientific Reports - Human ostension enhances attentiveness but not performance in domestic pigs

So happy to see this finally published!

We tested the sensitivity to human ostension in three pig populations with varying levels of human exposure.

The best part of this project was meeting people who are now friends for life.

Congratulations, Kimberly!

www.nature.com/articles/s41....

13.05.2025 07:47 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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The COMPARE lab at Indiana University is hiring a new full-time lab manager to assist studies with children and dogs, and manage the activities of the lab space on the Bloomington campus. Please share! hrms.iu.edu/psp/PH1PRD_P...

28.04.2025 23:37 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Chris is so smart and nice and produces fascinating work. On the off chance this is up your alley, I’d strongly encourage applying

23.03.2025 23:25 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Kanzi the bonobo

Kanzi the bonobo

Kanzi the bonobo, who learned language and made stone tools, has died. Here's what we learned about ape and human cognition from this remarkable individual. (Don't miss the story about how Kanzi described the scary beaver he discovered in his habitat 🦫πŸ₯²) πŸ§ͺ www.scientificamerican.com/article/kanz...

21.03.2025 13:44 πŸ‘ 97 πŸ” 30 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 5
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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-...

20.03.2025 10:02 πŸ‘ 263 πŸ” 79 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 9
Bonobo Nyota at Ape Initiative, a science and education nonprofit

Bonobo Nyota at Ape Initiative, a science and education nonprofit

Are humans the only species that communicates when a collaborator is missing information?

In @pnas.org, Luke Townrow and I show that our closest relatives, bonobos, can track when a partner is knowledgeable or ignorant, and tailor communication accordingly

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

03.02.2025 22:11 πŸ‘ 203 πŸ” 62 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 6
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Great Apes Joke Around, Suggesting Humor Is Older Than Humans Studies of great apes hint at why and when clowning behavior evolved

New article by my PhD advisor Erica Cartmill that does a fantastic job summarizing our lab's research on playful teasing in great apes! I bet you'll be ape-solutley tickled to read it (ok sorry I had to): www.scientificamerican.com/article/grea...

#primates #animals #humor #science #anthropology

18.12.2024 00:08 πŸ‘ 22 πŸ” 9 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Warming temperatures impact immune performance of wild monkeys, U-M study shows A capuchin monkey called Tiny groups fellow monkey Tevez in the Taboga forest reserve of Costa Rica. The monkeys are part of the Capuchinos de Taboga Research Project. Image credit: Capuchinos de Tabo...

Proud of our grad student, Jordan Lucore, for her study out in Sci Advances: The immune performance of wild capuchin monkeys declines when they experience higher temperatures, with youngest monkeys the most vulnerable to heat. news.umich.edu/warming-temp...

02.12.2024 17:50 πŸ‘ 27 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
Illustrated image divided into four panels, each showing a head of a bat with a text label. Top left: little guy, a regular looking back with a dark face and light colored fur, top right: little guy deluxe, a bat with a mask and large ears alongside a bat with a leaf shaped nose, bottom left: what is even going on here, a visored bat with a large forehead next to a bat with a large, wrinkly nose, bottom right: o hi doggie, a fruit bat with its tongue sticking out.

Illustrated image divided into four panels, each showing a head of a bat with a text label. Top left: little guy, a regular looking back with a dark face and light colored fur, top right: little guy deluxe, a bat with a mask and large ears alongside a bat with a leaf shaped nose, bottom left: what is even going on here, a visored bat with a large forehead next to a bat with a large, wrinkly nose, bottom right: o hi doggie, a fruit bat with its tongue sticking out.

Contrary to popular belief, there are only four kinds of bats.

21.11.2024 14:23 πŸ‘ 38636 πŸ” 6996 πŸ’¬ 363 πŸ“Œ 252

In this edition of my newsletter, The Ed's Up, I'm delighted to announce AN IMMENSE WORLD: THE YOUNG READERS EDITION! πŸ₯³

The book is being adapted for middle-grade *age 8-12). Same material & ethos. Full-color illustrations & photos. Out spring 2025. So excited!

buttondown.email/edyong209/ar...

09.10.2023 20:56 πŸ‘ 232 πŸ” 35 πŸ’¬ 12 πŸ“Œ 9
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The Newest College Admissions Ploy: Paying to Make Your Teen a β€œPeer-Reviewed” Author A group of services, often connected to pricey college counselors, has arisen to help high schoolers carry out and publish research as a credential for their college applications. The research papers ...

www.propublica.org/article/coll...

joshuapnudell.com/2023/05/23/t...

In short: high schooler trying to pad their college applications by paying to publish. There’s also a related proliferation of hs National writing competitions for the same reason

25.09.2023 03:38 πŸ‘ 13 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 3
Aerial view of downtown Madison

Aerial view of downtown Madison

We are hiring in perception & cognitive/perceptual development! Open Rank. Madison's awesome! Apply! psych.wisc.edu/psychology-d...

22.09.2023 18:34 πŸ‘ 45 πŸ” 39 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Made a word cloud of my papers using this cool Shiny app! but clearly I need to publish some more papers πŸ€ͺ

24.09.2023 17:19 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0