Will a macaque eat a grape sitting on a pile of poo? A study on germaphobia

When an outbreak strikes, humans try to avoid germs. (Remember wiping off groceries at the start of the pandemic?) What about ... monkeys?

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4262x2842+0+0/resize/4262x2842!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd2%2Fdc%2F65aa0401457d8d413311a90b4d77%2Fmacaque-5355.jpg' alt='One of the macaques at a Texas sanctuary, where researchers ran tests to see if the monkeys became germaphobes after experiencing a viral outbreak.'/><p>When an outbreak strikes, humans try to avoid germs. (Remember wiping off groceries at the start of the pandemic?) What about ... monkeys?</p><p>(Image credit: Stephan Kaufhold)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-6009527' />