original pbs broadcast date: february 19, 2008
at a research site in fongoli, senegal, a female chimpanzee breaks off a branch,
chews the end to make it sharp, then uses this rudimentary spear to skewer a
tasty bushbaby hiding inside a hollow tree. the footage represents an
astonishing breakthrough for primate researchers: it's the first time anyone has
documented a chimpanzee wielding a carefully prepared, preplanned weapon.
but it's only the latest in a slew of extraordinary new findings about ape
behavior. the more researchers learn about the great apes—chimpanzees, bonobos,
gorillas, and orangutans (see our family tree)—the more evidence they find of
creative intelligence. what, then, is the essential difference between us and
them? "ape genius," a nova-national geographic special, explores that
provocative question and examines research that is illuminating the ape mind.
the spear-wielding chimps were documented by anthropologist jill pruetz of iowa
state university, who also observed the fongoli colony doing something else
never documented before: holding a pool party. chimps were long thought to be
afraid of water, but as charming poolside footage reveals, these hairy bathers
swing from the trees and take the plunge in high spirits.
in addition to pruetz, "ape genius" features contributions by other noted
researchers, including brian hare of duke university, andrew whiten of the
university of st. andrews, tetsuro matsuzawa of kyoto university, rebecca saxe
of the massachusetts institute of technology, and josep call and michael
tomasello of the max planck institute for evolutionary anthropology. (for an
extended interview with rebecca saxe, see the ape that teaches.)
bit by bit, these investigators are converging on an explanation for why the
non-human great apes never made the breakthrough into an accelerating
human-style culture that builds on the achievements of previous generations.
after all, apes are stronger and more agile than we are. they have also shown
previously unsuspected talents for reasoning, creative problem solving, and
other intelligent traits. some have even demonstrated rudimentary language
abilities (see kanzi the bonobo). and their emotional lives seem on a par with
ours, as is evident in moving footage of a mother chimp dealing with the
sickness and death of her child.
but something has held them back. what?
at a research site in fongoli, senegal, a female chimpanzee breaks off a branch,
chews the end to make it sharp, then uses this rudimentary spear to skewer a
tasty bushbaby hiding inside a hollow tree. the footage represents an
astonishing breakthrough for primate researchers: it's the first time anyone has
documented a chimpanzee wielding a carefully prepared, preplanned weapon.
but it's only the latest in a slew of extraordinary new findings about ape
behavior. the more researchers learn about the great apes—chimpanzees, bonobos,
gorillas, and orangutans (see our family tree)—the more evidence they find of
creative intelligence. what, then, is the essential difference between us and
them? "ape genius," a nova-national geographic special, explores that
provocative question and examines research that is illuminating the ape mind.
the spear-wielding chimps were documented by anthropologist jill pruetz of iowa
state university, who also observed the fongoli colony doing something else
never documented before: holding a pool party. chimps were long thought to be
afraid of water, but as charming poolside footage reveals, these hairy bathers
swing from the trees and take the plunge in high spirits.
in addition to pruetz, "ape genius" features contributions by other noted
researchers, including brian hare of duke university, andrew whiten of the
university of st. andrews, tetsuro matsuzawa of kyoto university, rebecca saxe
of the massachusetts institute of technology, and josep call and michael
tomasello of the max planck institute for evolutionary anthropology. (for an
extended interview with rebecca saxe, see the ape that teaches.)
bit by bit, these investigators are converging on an explanation for why the
non-human great apes never made the breakthrough into an accelerating
human-style culture that builds on the achievements of previous generations.
after all, apes are stronger and more agile than we are. they have also shown
previously unsuspected talents for reasoning, creative problem solving, and
other intelligent traits. some have even demonstrated rudimentary language
abilities (see kanzi the bonobo). and their emotional lives seem on a par with
ours, as is evident in moving footage of a mother chimp dealing with the
sickness and death of her child.
but something has held them back. what?
