Japanese macaques (‘Macaca fuscata’) are also called snow monkeys. Image:Mochida1970 via Getty Images

When a new disease emerges, things can get a little weird. We start to clean groceries with antibacterial wipes, the sound of a sneeze can trigger our fight-or-flight response, and we generally become more cautious. Humans may not be the only primate species that change their behavior in the face of disease.

According to a study published today in the journal Royal Society Open Science, Japanese macaques ( Macaca fuscata ) that lived through a deadly outbreak in 2020 became noticeably more cautious about food that appeared contaminated, even though this disease was not spread by food or feces. This indicates that purposefully shifting behavior to avoid a pathogen can be shaped by our appearance and that disgust may have deep evolutionary roots.…