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Gregg Gunnell, Director of the Division of Fossil Primates, Dies at 63

By Robin A. Smith DURHAM, N.C. — Gregg Gunnell, 63, a Duke University paleontologist who oversaw a collection of more than 30,000 fossils from around the world, died Wednesday, September 20 at Duke University Hospital in Durham. Gunnell died while undergoing treatment for lymphoma, which he was diagnosed with less than a month before his […]

Could poop transplants speed recovery for sick lemurs?

Read the full release: “Lemur Research Gets A Gut Check.” Lydia and Erin’s work is an excellent example of the non-invasive research conducted at the DLC — and how, by working closely with our technician, conservation, and veterinary staff, Duke researchers help improve the welfare of the DLC’s lemur population! Learn more about Duke graduate student Lydia Greene in “Greene Finds […]

Mouse Lemurs’ Role in New Alzheimer’s Hypothesis

Lemurs aren’t just cute, they’re crucial Why are lemurs so special? Here’s just ONE reason: Because non-invasive research on grey mouse lemurs has helped shed light on devastating human diseases like Alzheimer’s: https://today.duke.edu/2017/03/jumping-genes-suspected-alzheimers. Like humans, mouse lemurs develop amyloid brain plaques and other Alzheimer’s-like symptoms as they age. Studying these tiny primates has helped lead to a […]

Dwarf Lemurs in Tsihomanaomby, Madagascar

Marina, our SAVA Conservation Project Coordinator and DLC researcher, just came back from the forest and sent us these images to post! Here’s what she writes: “The other night, while doing fieldwork at Tsihomanaomby, a subhumid forest in northern Madagascar, we came across a fat-tailed dwarf lemur, a few meters away from us, carrying a ‘bouquet’ […]

Notes from the Field, Part III: Final Thoughts

In the Duke Lemur Center’s “Notes from the Field” series, we follow DLC researcher and SAVA Conservation Project Coordinator Marina Blanco on a field expedition to Madagascar. This is the final entry in our multi-part series. Return to the Office We are back at the DLC-SAVA conservation office in Sambava, the mission to COMATSA just over. We are […]

Fiber & Feces: “Lettus” Research!

The practical use and benefits of research Hi, Duke Lemur Center blog reader! I’m Lydia, a DLC researcher and veteran tour guide. On tours, I’m often asked to explain how research at the DLC can actually help us conserve and care for these endangered animals. What follows here is an example of how, by working closely […]

Notes from the Field, Part II: Birds, Micromammals, & Herps

In the Duke Lemur Center’s new “Notes from the Field” series, we follow DLC researcher and SAVA Conservation Project Coordinator Marina Blanco on a field expedition to Madagascar. This is the second entry in our multi-part series. From Marina: An Introduction We made it to camp with some delay. Weather has been fantastic but terrain is hard. I […]

Notes from the Field, Part I: A New & Exciting Research Challenge for DLC/SAVA Conservation

In the Duke Lemur Center’s new “Notes from the Field” series, we follow DLC researcher and SAVA Conservation Project Coordinator Marina Blanco on a field expedition to Madagascar. This is the first entry in our multi-part series. From Marina: An Introduction As a Duke Lemur Center research postdoc, I had several opportunities to participate in field expeditions […]