A couple weeks back, the HHRFs were able to hear about Dr. Susan Alberts‘ research with baboons. As someone who is super interested in spending a semester in South Africa(which is only 2,000-3,000 miles from Kenya), it was exciting to learn about field research that is thousands of miles away from the Duke.
Dr. Alberts has been studying this population of baboons (a type of old world monkeys) for decades. This massive project looks into group dynamics, behavior, genetics, hormones, and a whole host of other factors.Her researchers use non-invasive observation to study the baboons without affecting their behavior. This project has shown how: female baboons stay with the same social group their entire life preventing inbreeding as oly the males change groups, how the beta male is the best spot in terms of testosterone and stress, and how fathering improves the health of female offspring. It was like watching an interactive National Geographic special. Imagine doing fieldwork with Mt. Kilimanjaro as your backdro
p and having to deal with problems like elephant damage to your vehicle.
I really hope I get to experience the more rugged side of science during my Duke career. Although, WWTP are pretty wild. Just look at some of these photos:
