The 43 rhesus macaque monkeys that escaped a South Carolina medical lab this week are among the most studied animals on the planet. And for more than a century, they’ve held a mirror to humanity, revealing our strengths and weaknesses through their own clever behaviors, organ systems and genetic code.
The bare-faced primates with expressive eyes have been launched on rockets into space. Their genome has been mapped. They have even been stars of a reality TV show.
