Researchers have recorded several chimpanzees in the wild drinking fermented palm sap, or palm wine, from raffia palm trees, according to a study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science. Palm wine has an average of 3.1% alcohol by volume but goes as high as 6.9%—more than most beers. And the chimpanzees aren’t just having a sip.
Researchers estimated that some of the chimpanzees were consuming as much as 85ml of alcohol, or about a bottle of wine. Some became visibly inebriated, even falling asleep soon after drinking. One even became restless, agitatedly moving from tree to tree while the other chimps were preparing to sleep, Dr. Kimberley Hockings, who led the research team, told BBC News.
The joys of palm wine aren’t just known to chimpanzees.
The local people in the Bossou area of Guinea, where the study occurred, also drink the palm wine, harvesting it by tapping the trees at the crown and collecting the sap in plastic containers. The chimpanzees, though, use a different method. Here’s Victoria Gill, reporting for BBC News: Chimpanzee – Search (bing.com)
Researchers working in the area had already witnessed chimpanzees climbing the trees – often in groups – and drinking the naturally fermented palm sap. The chimps used drinking tools called leaf sponges – handfuls of leaves that they chew and crush into absorbent sponges, dip into the liquid and suck out the contents.
To work out the extent of the animals’ indulgence, the scientists measured the alcohol content of the wine in the containers and filmed the chimps’ “drinking sessions.”
Related: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/social-skills/
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/great-minds-think-alike/
It plays right into the drunken monkey hypothesis.
Which was first posited by Robert Dudley back in 2004. Dudley suggested that human’s primate ancestors may have followed the scent of fermenting fruit to find food. Once they got there, the naturally occurring ethanol may have spurred their appetites, and so those who ate the fruit may have increased their caloric consumption. So, at one time, it was beneficial to be attracted to ethanol.
Chimps, which share a common ancestor with humans, could have the same inclination toward ethanol that humans do. In fact, a recent study showed that humans and African apes shared the genetic mutation that enabled them to metabolize alcohol.
Still, it remains rare for chimpanzees to voluntarily consume alcohol. Just 51 drinking events by individual primates were observed from 1995 to 2012, and one adult male accounted for 14 of those events.
A fascinating breakthrough in animal psychology has revealed that young chimpanzees combine various gestures, vocalizations, and facial expressions in a manner reminiscent
of the communication development observed in human infants.
This research is a product of diligent work carried out by psychologists at Durham University, who ventured deep into understanding the dynamics of chimpanzee communication.
During their investigation, the research team discovered that young chimps have a unique ability to combine different communication signals, an evolutionary trick that possibly enhances their ability to convey messages across different situations such as play and conflict. Intriguingly, they observed that this talent matures as the chimps transition from infancy to adolescence.
Why this study is important
Let’s delve into the specifics. The combined signals that these young primates utilize include a multitude of expressions and behaviors. For instance, they were seen combining playful open-mouth faces with laughter, or physically touching another chimp while whimpering, and even baring their teeth paired with squeaks.
Understanding these “multimodal” forms of communication has substantial implications for human linguistics and behavioral studies. It sheds significant light on the evolutionary path of communication in humans and our closest ape relatives, contributing to our understanding of the emergence of our own language skills.
The study, a collaboration between Durham University and the University of Portsmouth, gained recognition through its publication in the journal Animal Behaviour.. The research took place at the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage Trust sanctuary in northern Zambia, where 28 semi-wild chimpanzees, aged one to 11 years, were observed.
What the research team learned:
Contrary to previous studies.
That focused on isolated forms of communication signals, this research was unique as it examined how chimpanzees combined these signals as they matured and in different contexts. The team found that chimpanzees of all ages consistently used standalone communication signals such as grunting, arm movements, or facial expressions in various situations.
However, it was interesting to note that as the chimpanzees aged, they were more likely
to merge different communication signals. This practice was particularly evident during encounters of aggression or play, two scenarios where clear communication is paramount to avoid undesirable consequences. The older adolescent chimpanzees demonstrated a higher tendency to utilize a mix of signals instead of singular gestures or expressions, especially in aggressive contexts.
“When we think about human language, we know that it is a combination of different
types of communication such as speech, facial expressions, and gestures. The way we communicate likely has deep evolutionary roots that are shared with some of our closest living relatives such as apes. Our study provides evidence that the way chimpanzees communicate with increased complexity as they get older is consistent with the development of communication we see in human infants,” said Emma Doherty.
Insights into human evolution
The research team suggests that the development of this multi-layered mode of communication among young chimpanzees could offer valuable insights into our own evolution. However, they added that further studies are needed to observe multimodal signals in wild primates to understand better how different environments impact communication development.
Furthermore, they proposed that studying multimodal communication, as opposed to observing individual signals in isolation, could provide more robust evidence of how communication evolved in apes, and by extension, in humans.
“A lot of the focus of research so far into communication, both in humans and other animals, looks at individual communication signals independently, but we know humans combine these signals all the time from early infancy.
As a close relative of humans, apes give us a snapshot into how these signals could have evolved into multimodal communications, ultimately culminating in human language,” said study co-author Dr Zanna Clay.
Learning more about ourselves by observing chimpanzees
Related video: Chimps and Babies Basically Communicate In the Same Way (Buzz60) – Search (bing.com)
These discoveries underscore the similarities between human communication and
our nearest animal relatives. By studying the development of young chimpanzees’ communication and their ability to combine signals, the researchers have not only broadened our understanding of primate communication but have also brought us a step closer to unravelling the complexities of our own language evolution.
As we continue to push the boundaries of our knowledge, research like this reinforces our connection with the animal kingdom and reminds us of the shared evolutionary heritage we possess. Who knows, in the near future, we may even uncover more ways in which our forms of communication mirror those of the animal kingdom.
After all, understanding the evolution of communication in animals may pave the way for more profound insights into human language development and the intriguing interplay of nature and nurture.
In essence, by peering into the communication patterns of our closest living relatives, we may just be getting a glimpse of our own ancient past and the evolutionary milestones that have shaped the complexity and diversity of human communication.
As we move forward, further exploration of multimodal communication in primates could offer more definitive answers and add exciting chapters to our understanding of the story of human evolution.
This noteworthy research was made possible through funding from various entities, including a Durham University Doctoral Scholarship, the British Association of Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology, and the Lucie Burgers Foundation for Comparative Behavioural Research.
More about the similarities between humans and chimpanzees
Chimpanzees are our closest living relatives in the animal kingdom, and we share many biological and behavioral similarities with them, given our shared ancestry.
Genetic similarity
Chimpanzees and humans share nearly 99% of their DNA. This genetic similarity is one of the primary reasons why scientists study chimpanzees to understand human biology and evolution better.
Social behavior
Like humans, chimpanzees are highly social animals. They live in large communities and exhibit complex social behaviors such as cooperation, competition, alliance formation, and even aggression. They also demonstrate empathy and altruism, engaging in behavior such as grooming each other and sharing food.
Communication
As highlighted in the previous article, chimpanzees use a wide range of gestures, facial expressions, and vocalizations to communicate, much like humans. They use these signals in combination, showing that they have multimodal communication capabilities that could be the precursors to human language.
Tool use and problem-solving
Chimpanzees are among the few animal species known to use tools. They’ve been observed using sticks to fish for termites, stones to crack open nuts, and leaves as sponges to absorb drinking water. This tool displays their problem-solving abilities and cognitive sophistication.
Emotion and Intelligence
Chimpanzees exhibit a wide range of emotions, including joy, sadness, fear, and anger, similar to human emotions. They’re also very intelligent, capable of learning sign language, playing computer games, and even recognizing themselves in mirrors, a sign of self-awareness.
Bipedalism
While not their primary mode of locomotion, chimpanzees can walk on two legs (bipedalism), especially when carrying food or tools, suggesting that our common ancestor may have also been capable of bipedal locomotion.
Cultural transmission
Chimpanzees also show evidence of culture, in that different groups of chimpanzees have different behaviors and traditions, such as unique ways of grooming or using tools, which they pass down through generations.
These similarities provide a window into our own evolutionary past, offering crucial insights into human biology, behavior, culture, and the roots of our language. Understanding our shared traits with chimpanzees, as well as appreciating the differences, helps us understand our place in the natural world.
There are more than 100 types of cancers that affect millions of men and women.
But do animals suffer from cancer?
Research has found cancer that affects wild animals like the Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease, sea turtle fibropapillomatosis and sea lion genital carcinoma and that human activities have contributed to development of these cancers. However, the prevalence of cancer among humans is thought to be higher than animals.
Why Chimps Don’t Get Cancer and What That Means for Humans
Do Chimps Get Cancer – Search (bing.com)
New research has shown why chimps, our closest cousins, don’t develop as many cancers as we do. Chimps and humans share about 96 percent of our DNA and it is the four percent that accounts for the difference in cancer rates among chimps and humans.
Researcher Soojin Yi from Georgia Tech analyzed brain samples of humans and chimps to find that certain modifications in the DNA structure raises the risk of cancer in humans.
“Our study indicates that certain human diseases may have evolutionary epigenetic origins. Such findings, in the long term, may help to develop better therapeutic targets or means for some human diseases,” said Yi, a faculty member in the School of Biology.
The modification called methylation doesn’t change the genetic structure of the DNA but alters the way it is expressed.
DNA methylation represses gene expression or puts it in ‘off’ mode.
Yi and her research team collected samples from the prefrontal cortex of the brains of humans and chimpanzees. They then generated genome-wide methylation maps of the brains. They found lower levels of methylation in human brains than chimps.
They also found that most of the genes that had low levels of methylations were the drivers of protein binding and cell metabolism. Researchers say that this explains why we are particularly susceptible to certain diseases.
“This list of genes includes disproportionately high numbers of those related to diseases. They are linked to autism, neural-tube defects and alcohol and other chemical dependencies. This suggests that methylation differences between the species might have significant functional consequences. They also might be linked to the evolution of our vulnerability to certain diseases, including cancer,” added Yi.
The study was published in the American Journal of Human Genetics.
You may have heard that humans and chimpanzees have something like 96 percent of our DNA in common. So why, then, are diseases like cancer so common in humans but so rare in chimps? If our DNA is nearly identical, shouldn’t we be at risk for many of the same diseases?
DNA Methylation
According to one study, the difference is due to something called DNA methylation,
which involves the chemical modification of DNA. Basically, methylation modifies some
DNA positions in the genome, and can also signal cells to switch specific genes to the
“off” position. Evidently, humans & chimps have different patterns of DNA methylation.
So even though we may share many of the same genes, the ways our cells switch these common genes on and off differs. And because at least some of these genes are linked to diseases including cancer, variations in the way DNA methylation happens among humans and chimps may help explain why chimps seem to avoid diseases common in humans.
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Gene Expression And Environments
So what explains the differences among human and chimp DNA methylation?
It may be partly biological; scientists know environmental factors can affect methylation.
So, studying methylation in humans and chimps could also give scientists clues about how genetics and environment combine to make humans more vulnerable to cancer and other diseases. Another kind of animal that rarely gets cancer? Elephants.
Chimpanzees on a ketogenic diet have been observed to have a decreased seizure frequency and improved cognitive performance. The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that has been shown to have positive effects on various medical conditions, including epilepsy.
DMT chimpanzees on keto diet – Search (bing.com)
What is a chimpanzees diet – Search (bing.com)
DMT chimpanzees on keto diet – Sinfras
Resources And Further Reading:
Nordling, Lisa. “Scientists are studying a chimpanzee diet to treat human diseases, including cancer.”
Quartz: Africa. July 4, 2017. Accessed September 10, 2018.
Varki, Nissi M. Varki, Ajit. “On the apparent rarity of epithelial cancers in captive chimpanzees.” Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2015 Jul 19; 370(1673): 20140225.
“New insights into why humans are more susceptible to cancer and other diseases.” Eureka Alert! August 23, 2012. Accessed October 3, 2018.
Zeng, Jia. Konopka, Genevieve. Hunt, Brendan G. Preuss, Todd M. Geschwind, Dan. Yi, Soojin V. Divergent Whole-Genome Methylation Maps of Human and Chimpanzee Brains Reveal Epigenetic Basis of Human Regulatory Evolution. Am J Hum Genet. 2012 Sep 7; 91(3): 455–465. Doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2012.07.024
Divergent Whole-Genome Methylation Maps of Human and Chimpanzee Brains Reveal Epigenetic Basis of Human Regulatory Evolution – PMC (nih.gov)
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