New research has found that social interactions among meerkats may be crucial to their health and survival – thanks to the sharing of beneficial gut bacteria.

For the third consecutive year, the Ramona Jones Friends of BrainHealth Luncheon took scientific innovation to a new level, offering talented young brain health researchers a chance to compete Shark Tank-style for $20,000 in grant funding for novel pilot studies designed to generate lasting, real-world impact. This annual event is led by Center for BrainHealth, part of The University of Texas at Dallas.

Researchers showed that chimpanzees — like humans — can change their minds based on the strength of available evidence, a key feature of rational thought. Working at the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Uganda, the researchers presented chimps with two boxes, one containing food. Initially, the animals received a clue suggesting which box held the reward. Later, they were given stronger evidence pointing to the other box. The chimps frequently switched their choices in response to the new clues.

The researchers used restricted-access, individual-level data housed in the Wasatch Front Research Data Center. In addition to analyzing which Americans’ live walking-distance to parks across major race and ethnicity categories, the study is the first to assess different access within those groups based on national and Tribal origin. The findings revealed previously unseen national patterns of unequal access to greenspaces.