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For a glimpse of a world ruled by women, look at lemurs. (They keep the men in check.)

By Elizabeth Anne Brown. Originally published in the Durham News & Observer on March 20, 2018. Liesl, a 9-year-old ring-tailed lemur with the attitude of an Amazon warrior, is the undisputed matriarch of the North Carolina pine forest her family calls home. She and her troop preside over 14 acres of land, foraging alongside squirrels […]

VIDEO: What mouse lemurs can teach us about the aging brain

Like humans, mouse lemurs sometimes develop amyloid brain plaques and other Alzheimer’s-like symptoms as they age. Because mouse lemurs are primates, they are a closer genetic match to humans than mice or rats are. The Duke Lemur Center’s non-invasive research on these tiny primate cousins could help explain the initial stages of Alzheimer’s and other […]

Some lemurs are loners, others crave connection

By Robin Smith. DURHAM, N.C. — If lemurs were on Facebook, Fern would have oodles of friends, liking and commenting on their posts. Captain Lee, on the other hand, would rarely send a friend request. Best buddies Fern and Alena at the Duke Lemur Center in Durham, North Carolina. Photo by Ipek Kulahci. These are […]

What lemur guts can tell us about human bowel disease

Why is lemur research important? A newly published study by Dr. Erin McKenney, one of our Director’s (Anne Yoder’s) recent graduates, highlights just TWO reasons: “McKenney and her fellow researchers recently discovered that the gut microbiomes of two of the lemur species share surprising similarities with those of humans who suffer from inflammatory bowel diseases, like Crohn’s […]

A Tale of Two Feces: Field Work in Marojejy

By Lydia Greene, DLC researcher and Duke Ph.D. student Feces is seldom the most palatable topic to discuss around the dinner table, but for lemur researchers, it’s often unavoidable. Take, for example, a recent mission to Marojejy National Park conducted by myself and DLC/SAVA project coordinator, Marina Blanco. We went to Marojejy together to collect […]

“My Mommy Told Me So”: My research with Agatha and Medusa

What do aye-ayes and prison-grade cameras have in common? Both feature prominently in David Watts’s research on the DLC’s most-watched mother-daughter duo. David Watts studies aye-aye communication, including how mother aye-ayes communicate with their offspring. In addition to helping the vet staff monitor Agatha’s health during the first weeks of life, David’s cameras hidden in […]

How SAS Helped Save a Baby Lemur’s Life

By Colin Warren-Hicks for the Durham Herald-Sun View the original article HERE. DURHAM, N.C. – SAS saved a baby lemur. Well – to clarify – SAS data management programing played a major part in helping to save the life of a rare but ailing newborn aye-aye lemur named Agatha. That’s what Anne-Lindsay Beall, editor of the Customer […]

How A Summer of Lemurs and Analytics Helped Me Find My Voice

By Briana Ullman, Corporate Creative Intern at SAS and student at NC State University RALEIGH, N.C. — Never in my life could I have imagined myself talking about data analysis just inches away from a lemur – and as a part of my job. And honestly, this was only one of the many incredible things that have happened […]