This was way cool -- and a bit scary, especially watching a chimp make a primitive spear with which to hunt bush babies.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/apegenius/?campaign=pbshomefeatures_3_novabrapegenius_2008-02-20 One bonobo, Kanzi, understands *3000* English words according to his researchers. The lack of ability to understand attention-pointing was intriguing, as dogs _do_ get this concept (even my cats have learned this, although it took a very long time (months) for Bashir to comprehend). And the related 'triangulation teaching mode' seems to be unique to us humans, at least for now. Inability to delay gratification using actual desired objects (candy) contrasted with ability to use symbols representing those objects (numbers on cards) to successfully wait for the treats. More on those spear-makers: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/2008-04/chimps-with-spears/roach-text.html The Fongoli chimps of Senegal will break off a branch, sharpen it with their teeth, and use it to hunt bush babies. That's just one of the recent discoveries that underscore the ape-human connection. ...Unlike their better-known rain forest kin, savanna-woodland chimps spend most of their day on the ground. There is no canopy here. The trees are low and grow sparsely. It's an environment very much like the open, scratchy terrain where early humans evolved... Debbi who expects Ronn or Vill to make cream pie with my first statement ;) ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
