Study Finds Chimps Die From Simian AIDS, Dispelling Widely Held Belief.

For the first time, scientists have shown that chimpanzees in the wild become sick and die from the simian version of AIDS. The finding upsets a widely held scientific belief that chimpanzees, the closest relatives to humans, can get the virus that causes simian AIDS but without harm.  The study was published July 23, 2009, in the journal Nature. Virologist Beatrice Hahn of the University of Minnesota led the study, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Minnesota and other institutions.