This student story is one of five winners of the Summer Writing Awards as part of the 2026 NASW Perlman Virtual Mentoring Program organized by the NASW Education Committee, providing science journalism experience for undergraduate and graduate students.
Story by Emily Davies
Mentored and edited by Amber Dance
This article is currently being pitched to news outlets. Check back here for updates.
Main image caption: An infant chimpanzee, Karoline, peers at the actions of an adolescent, Kavera, who is using a leaf to inspect a parasite found during grooming. Credit: Nora Slania.
Emily Davies is incoming post-baccalaureate fellow in the Division of Translational Toxicology at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. She studied cell biology at the University of Maryland and enjoys writing about the intersections between science and philosophy. Her interests span animal behavior, animal ethics, neuroscience, computational biology and bioethics. She can be reached by email at emrdavies11@proton.me
