The line of business between man and monkey has been crossed again – this time by chimps . Based on new enquiry , scientists say chimps translate how flame will behave , and move to quash it “ expertly ” in the wild .
Primatologist Jill Pruetz from Iowa State University in Ames was meditate Pan troglodytes in Senegal , on the Savannah River . It was summertime , during brushfire season , and she notice that the chimps showed no fear of the wildfire at all . In fact , they moved to head off it easily , prognosticate where to stand up next to avoid the 10 - foot flames . She speculates that these chimps were manifest a fundamental insight that could conduce to hold flak : “ An understanding of the behavior of fire under various conditions that enable one to predict its crusade , permitting activity in faithful proximity to it . ”
Pruetz told LiveScience :
I was surprised at how expert they were at care the fire . The ardor was burn really hot , and the flaming were at least 10 foot high-pitched , up to 20 foot at times .
She added that the chimps could predict the fire ’s next moves better than she could :
I could portend it , sort of , but if it were just me , I would have left . At one fourth dimension , I actually had to push through them because I could finger the hotness from the fire that was on the side of me and I just was n’t that comfortable with it .
The primatologist believe that chimps would have to develop two other key ideas before lighting any flaming , however : “ The power to manipulate fire by hold it , providing or depriving it of fuel and perhaps extinguishing it . [ And ] the potentiality to get a fire . ” Once chimpanzee overcome the next two steps , it ’s just a slippy slope down to Charlton Heston shaking his fist in Planet of the Apes .
viaLiveScience
Photo via AFP
EvolutionScience
Daily Newsletter
Get the best technical school , scientific discipline , and culture news program in your inbox day by day .
News from the future , delivered to your present .
You May Also Like
