Human sexual behavior is the source of nearly endless conflict both interpersonally and societally, not to mention serving as the central motivator of countless movies, including Sex Ed (now streaming on Peacock!). Despite being one of the most natural activities any animal — including humans — can engage in, we hang a lot of baggage on sex. It’s something which only happens in private, isn’t spoken of in polite company, and is otherwise shielded behind blackout curtains and locked doors. The long-tailed macaque monkeys of Bali, however, don’t have the same hang-ups.
According to a recent study published in the journal Ethology, macaques have been observed using specially selected stone tools in order to enhance masturbatory sexual pleasure. The study took place in the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary in central Bali, where researchers observed over 170 monkeys of all ages and sexes and categorized their use of stone tools.
It’s commonly believed that new technologies quickly filter themselves into one of two uses, those of warfare and sex. Certainly, a review of human technological advancement, both contemporarily and in the past, supports this notion. Whenever new technological ground is broken, we pretty quickly ask ourselves how we use it to fight or f… well… you know.
Most non-human animals don’t use tools so this hasn’t been a particular area of interest, but over the last several years it has been reported that several species of monkeys are entering their own stone age and may, in fact, have entered it up to 3,000 years ago. Those initial studies focused on the more readily apparent uses of stone tools, that of resource acquisition.
The use of tools is often explored through the lens of a survival advantage, the ways in which they can enhance the gathering of resources or defense. Indeed, monkeys have been observed using stone tools to dig for food or smash open seed pods, but now we know their tool usage extends to more personal activities without any direct survival advantage.
The new study builds upon previous work which demonstrated that male long-tailed macaques used stone tools to stimulate their genitals through repetitive tapping or rubbing. We have to be careful when observing animals not to project our own biases onto their behavior, but the so-called “Sex Toy” hypothesis appears to be borne out by these additional observations, which also looked at the behaviors of female macaques as well as juveniles.
The use of stone tools for “self-directed tool-assisted masturbation,” as it is described in the study, reveals some interesting demographic differences. Notably, researchers found that female monkeys are more selective about which stones they choose to stimulate themselves with, while male monkeys are less discriminating but engage in the activity more often. That disparity is largely a consequence of juvenile males. They were most likely to engage in tool-assisted sexual play while adult males were the least likely of any demographic. It’s possible that’s a result of access to mature females, minimizing the need for adult males to go solo.
In an interview with Live Science, Camilla Cenni, lead author of the study, said that researchers didn’t have to wait long to see the behavior. If the monkeys were holding a stone, it was likely it was heading toward their genitals sooner than later. Perhaps most interesting is that the use of stone tools — either for masturbation or more broadly — appears to be cultural and is only seen in some populations. The emergence of this behavior among monkeys living in Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary could be a result of their comparatively lavish lifestyle. The monkeys there are often fed by people. The fact that they don’t have to expend as much energy on foraging could be freeing up time and energy for tool manipulation and, ultimately, exploration of their bodies. Idle hands and all that.
Howdy! Ready to take on the forces of evil? Download SYFY's free app to watch tons of Wynonna Earp extras. Watch Wynonna Earp
September is College Savings Month, a time to raise awareness about the importance of planning financially for college. This September proves ever more important with research showing that 1 out of...
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured its first direct images of a planet beyond our solar system.
NASA officials gave an update Friday on efforts to finally get the Artemis I mission off the launchpad.
Godspeed, take two. NASA will try a second time to launch its Artemis I rocket from Kennedy Space Center.
NASA officials are still targeting Labor Day weekend for a second attempt at launching the SLS rocket on the Artemis I mission from KSC.
Four months after the spectacular feat that was catching a descending rocket stage in mid-air, Rocket Lab has re-ignited one of the engines from that booster — an important step on their roadmap to fielding a fully reusable rocket. The Rutherford engine, one of nine that power the Electron launch vehicles, went up on the mission "There and Back Again" in May, culminating in the livestreamed capture of the booster as it descended under a parachute. According to Rocket Lab, the used engine performed to the same standard required of a new one.
The majority of fertilized eggs die and are resorbed into the body. ZEISS Microscopy/Flickr, CC BY-SAMany state legislatures are seriously considering human embryos at the earliest stages of development for legal personhood. Total abortion bans that consider humans to have full rights from the moment of conception have created a confusing legal domain that affects a wide range of areas, including assisted reproductive technologies, contraception, essential medical care and parental rights, among
The exoplanet was first discovered in 2017, but the Webb Telescope was able to capture the clearest images of the exoplanet to date.
Saturday's rescheduled Artemis 1 mission is NASA's first step toward returning humans to Earth's Moon.
The skeleton of a long-necked Mbiresaurus raathi is believed to be more than 230 million years old.
The long countdown to launch of NASA's Artemis I mission to the moon continued as planned Friday while weather odds saw improvement along the way.
All eyes are on Florida's Space Coast to see history in the making Saturday as NASA attempts to launch a mega moon rocket on a 37-day mission.
Overall, SpaceX has won 14 missions from NASA, bringing the total value of its contract to nearly $5 billion.
Engineers are hopeful the weather will cooperate for the planned launch Saturday of NASA's Artemis moon rocket.
STORY: NASA mission manager Mike Sarafin told media it was the right decision to postpone the launch originally planned for late August to Saturday.The agency was forced to postpone the launch of the SLS rocket and its uncrewed Orion astronaut capsule around the Moon and back to Earth after a pair of technical issues foiled an initial try at getting the spacecraft off the ground.The planned journey will mark the kickoff of NASA's highly vaunted moon-to-Mars Artemis program, the successor to the Apollo lunar missions of the 1960s and '70s.
Experts say they are working to excavate the remains of a 40-foot-tall, 80-foot-long brachiosaurid sauropod.
NASA's Artemis 1 moon mission is now set to launch Saturday, after technical issues delayed plans Monday. CBS News space consultant Bill Harwood joins us from Kennedy Space Center in Florida with the latest on the outlook for launch and the impact delays will have on the mission to the moon.
While Pakistanis count the cost of one of the country's worst recorded floods, heavy rain is hitting southwestern China as the Texas city of Dallas recovers from a 10-inch deluge in a single day last month. Heatwaves are already more frequent and intense worldwide, increasing evaporation from both the land and the ocean.
NASA Artemis I is unmanned, but it's not flying solo. Here's a list of everything that's flying to the moon on the mega moon rocket when it launches.
Experts, concerned about the algae bloom that is turning the water to brown muck, say the die-off is ‘like losing giant redwoods’