Last keynote announcement: Dr. Taylor Hersh!

She explores how animal communication varies over space and time, with a particular focus on cetacean social communication and the cultural processes that shape group-specific vocal traditions.

Discover her research here 👉 taylorhersh.weebly.com

Meet our 3rd keynote: Dr. Erin Wessling!

Her work connects research on Pan behavioural ecology with conservation practice, with a focus on understanding and protecting chimpanzee cultures.

Learn more about Erin’s work 👉 erinwessling.com

I'm proud and grateful to be part of this exciting team diving to the bottom of social learning - Edwin van Leeuwen, Alex Rogers, Aurora Balaran, Peggy Motsch, Jake Brooker, and collaborators from Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage, Utrecht University, Durham University, and University of Southampton.

Read it to find out more about culture and its surprising non-instrumental expressions in chimpanzees. 🎉

brill.com/view/journal...

We are now reporting more of that tendency! Chimpanzees within the same sanctuary started engaging in grass-related behaviours, with strong signatures of social diffusion. Not only that, but grass fashion is reaching new highs (or lows? 👀) with a brand new variant of grass insertion.

You may have heard of chimpanzees inserting grass in their ear for no specific reason. These occurences may foster social bonds, but may also simply reflect a latent inclination to copy each other (and perhaps some aesthetic appreciation? 🙈)

I also want to give a special shout-out to our very own students Connor Proudfoot and Johanna Bellue, who respectively won the much deserved lightning talk and poster student prizes!

Looking forward to seeing many of you again at the Culture Conference 2026!