Quick Takes: Symbiotic simians

Primate experts may have expected gathering storm clouds and diminishing resources to cause disorder and strife within tenuously balanced simian societies. But they didn’t know their monkey business. Researchers from the University of Exeter and the University of Pennsylvania studied the effects of a hurricane on a group of rhesus macaques inhabiting an island off the coast of Puerto Rico and found that instead of causing division, the hurricane made the monkeys nicer. According to the study published June 20 in Science, 2017’s Hurricane Maria left the Caribbean’s Monkey Island with much less shade. That’s a big deal to tree-dwelling macaques who depend on shade to keep cool. “Macaques aren’t the best at sharing resources—be they food or shade,” University of Exeter researcher Lauren Brent said. “They are well known to live in an aggressive, highly competitive society.” But after the storm, the macaques changed their behavior and became more willing to share whatever shade remained on the storm-tossed island. The attitude shift proved wise. According to the researchers, monkeys willing to share a shady spot with another monkey were 42 percent less likely to die following the storm.

A lot of trouble

After building a $500,000 home at the wrong address, a Hawaiian construction company will now have to pay to demolish the structure, according to a June 24 order. Big Island property owner Annaleine Reynolds purchased the empty 1-acre lot in 2018. Later a local developer who owned an adjacent property hired PJ’s Construction to build a family home. But before breaking ground, neither the contractor nor the developer conducted a survey—and they built the house on the wrong lot. Reynolds learned the home was on her land when a real estate broker called her after he discovered the mistake during a title check.

Timepiece turns up

At long last, Teddy Roosevelt’s pocket watch—a gift from his sister and her husband—is back in its rightful spot. A thief nicked the historical memento and prized possession of the former president in 1987 while it was on loan to a museum in Buffalo, N.Y. After a 36-year disappearance, the watch showed up last year at a Florida auction house and federal agents confiscated it. On June 27, curators at the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, Roosevelt’s former Long Island home, put the heirloom back on display.

Delayed domicile

Blocks away from homes commanding asking prices in excess of $5 million, one San Francisco house listing has raised eyebrows. In June, a home in the desirable Russian Hill neighborhood appeared on the multiple listing service with an asking price of just $488,000. The catch? The new owner of the 1,100-square-foot home can’t move in until 2053. According to The San Francisco Standard, the unusual stipulation resulted from a family dispute in which one family member secured the right to continue living in the home for the next three decades at the cost of just $417.67 per month in rent plus utilities. By June 24, real estate website Zillow had listed a sale as pending.

Plumbers in the pipeline

Amid fixing water fountains, public bathrooms, city pools, and splash parks, there’s a lot for city plumbers to do during the summer. Too bad Pittsburgh has just one plumber on its payroll. The distressing news came to the attention of city councilors after a constituent complained she was struggling to find an operational water fountain. On June 18, the City Council passed an emergency resolution permitting Pittsburgh’s mayor to hire more tradesmen to give the solitary plumber some help. “The City cannot wait,” councilors said in the resolution. In the meantime, the council approved a plan to borrow plumbers from other local government entities to turn on water fountains that were still shuttered from winter.

The eyes have it

Last year, Boston transit officials reported the MBTA would need to spend $24.5 billion to bring the transit system into good working order. But funding those updates will take time, so meanwhile, what about having some fun on the cheap? An MBTA spokesperson announced June 26 the transit agency had added googly eyes to the front of five MBTA trains, including engines serving the Green Line and commuter service. Agency officials received the suggestion in April after a local group organized a March for Googly Eyes on the T. According to the transit spokesperson, the agency is “constantly seeking ­creative ways to improve riders’ experiences”—even if that means comedic ornamentation.

That sinking feeling

The residents of Alton, Ill., are thankful no children were playing soccer the morning of June 26. That’s when a giant sinkhole developed under soccer fields at a local park, quickly swallowing turf, light poles, and benches into its 100-foot diameter and 50-foot depth. “It was surreal,” Alton parks director Michael Haynes told KMOV-TV. “Kind of like a movie where the ground just falls out from underneath you.” City officials believe activity at a nearby underground limestone mine caused the sinkhole.