For eight months in 1998 and 1999, I woke every morning in search of chimpanzee pee. That pee held the key to the chimps’ testosterone levels, and I helped to catch it. To do this, I would hike through the rainforest to the trees in which the chimpanzees had built their sleeping nests the previous evening. The field assistants and I would wait under them, as bird and monkey calls gradually filled the air. Then came the rustling sounds from the nest above us—our cue to get ready. Chimps are not so different from humans in many respects, including this one—first thing they do when they wake up in the morning is urinate (they just had to stick their butts over the side of the nest). When they...
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