Researchers are gaining insights into new drugs by observing animals. Chimps in Tanzania were seen swallowing the unchewed leaves of a tree they normally avoided. Intrigued by why the primates would eat these particular leaves without chewing them, biologists studied the chimp droppings and found that the leaves were not digested. The chimp's digestive system simply removed chemicals from the surface of the leaves, and these substances killed parasites within the chimp's intestinal tract!
Another insight learned from the interaction between animals and their diet was found in the habits of the Brazilian woolly spider monkey. The female monkey does not ovulate for about six months after she gives birth so that she has time to raise her baby before becoming pregnant again. After six months, however, the female will travel outside of her territory to gorge on the fruit from a specific tree. Biologists found that this fruit is rich in the exact chemical the female needs to ovulate.
God tells us in His Word [Job 12:7] that we should study the animals so we can learn from them. How true His words have proven to be!
From A Closer Look at the Evidence by Kleiss, March 13.
