Chimpanzees use tools in many different ways: for capturing food, squashing parasites, courting mates and fighting enemies. But are they born with this knowledge, or is it passed from chimp to chimp, just as people pass on their own culture?
To find out, researchers led by Antoine Spiteri at Scotland's University of St. Andrews taught a single member of six different chimpanzee groups how to use a tool to procure food. Over time, other members of each group learned the technique -- a clear example of cultural transmission.
Maybe if someone could teach a chimp to use my cell phone, it could figure out how to make IM useful on a numeric keypad....
Chimps pass on gadget use like humans [MSNBC]
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Image: Matthew Hoelscher*
