Just A Few Genes

Yes, just a few genes is all that separates us from the primates ..... if any proof is needed then this story about research indicating that Chimpanzees find yawns so 'contagious' (like us, I yawned as well) that they can catch them from 'cartoons'.

Scientists from Emory University in Atlanta, US, have discovered that an animation of a yawning chimp will stimulate real chimps to yawn.

On another story, the worlds tiniest parrots (members of another animal species that shows remarkable intelligence) have been found .... the tiny birds, which are not much bigger than an adult person's thumb, are smaller than some of the insects with which it shares the forest. On average, buff-faced pygmy parrots (Micropsitta pusio) stand less than 9cm tall and weigh 11.5g (0.41oz).

As we destroy the forests, amazing wonders are discovered only to be destroyed forever, and we show no shame. The link has film of these amazing creatures.

Do The Funky Gibbon

When The Goodies had their hit The Funky Gibbon, little could they know that in fact the Gibbons have the ability to learn and use tools to create noises such as a door slamming.

Doing The Funky Gibbon

Just a few seconds before she started her great call the female gibbon retreated into her sleeping box, singing as she went. She then half shut the sliding door to the wooden box. At the climax to her call, she would then slam the sliding door shut, and after it bounced back open again, she would jump out of the box, thrashing her arms and legs in a display. "I realised what I had seen was tool use." said the scientist

Similarly at least two Orangutans have learnt to whistle in different zoos, Ujan in Germany and Bonnie in Washington, and yet more evidence of tool use from Chimps, as well as evidence of forward planning (with a painful ending!).

We aint as superior as we like to think ..... just a few percentage of genes.