Indonesia consists of approximately 17,000 islands, interspersed with warm seas, strung out along the equator between mainland Asia and Australia. Indonesia’s wet tropical climate is characterized by seasonal changes in rainfall rather than temperature. Warm waters, which make up more than 80% of Indonesia, are responsible for the almost constant temperatures on land. Seasonal variation in Indonesia’s

  Science Corner   Climate, Ecology, Monsoon, by Dr. Birutė Mary Galdikas.

Most rainforests in Borneo and Sumatra, home to the orangutan, are distributed on peatlands which are typically low, swampy areas that are seasonally flooded. These rainforests are like no others in the world. Part of their uniqueness lies in their large capacity for storing carbon dioxide which is the primary greenhouse gas responsible for global warming. Protecting these peatland forests is essential not only for saving orangutans and preserving biodiversity, but also for preventing massive [...]

  Science Corner   Conservation, Rainforest, Science, by Dr. Birutė Mary Galdikas.

According to our current knowledge, the orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) was the first great-ape species to split off from the evolutionary tree that led to modern humans. This happened about 14 million years ago (Goodman, 1999). In searching for the origins of human cognition and human language it is therefore imperative to gain knowledge about the cognitive and communicative abilities of this species. This includes the study of the intentional use of communicative signals like gestures [...]

  Science Corner   Communication, Tanjung Puting, by Julia Cissewski.