5. Week. Reading Blog

Chimpanzees Intentionally Warn Their Friends About Danger

 

Autor, A.A Joseph Stromberg  (October 17, 2013)

Name of the Article: Chimpanzees Intentionally Warn Their Friends About Danger

Name of Magazine: Smithsonianmag.com (http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2013/10/chimpanzees-intentionally-warn-their-friends-about-danger/)

Subject:     Surprising Science

Date: Octuber 17, 2013

Main Ideas	Details
Chimps make different warning calls to other chimps, through sounds and they keep the alarm until their friends are safe.   Chimps are able of all sorts of human-like behaviors that go far beyond tool use.    This discovery tells us something about the evolution of human language.	-          The study shows that, in their natural environment, chimps have a way more similar to language than previously thought.    -          This study was done in a community of 73 chimps that lives in Uganda’s Budongo Forest Reserve, and led by Anne Marijke Schel of the University of York.   -          Typically, when the chimps saw danger, they used one of two different vocalizations o   ‘huus’ (softer calls, with less alarm). o   ‘waas’ (louder, more alarmed calls).    -          The researchers found that the startled chimps were much more likely to make the "wass" rather than "huus" when other chimps were around.    -          The researchers found that were more likely to trigger alarms when were closer relationships among them.     -          "It really seemed the chimpanzees directed their alarm calls at specific individuals.” said the researchers.   -          They continuing warning until they’d successfully warned about danger other chimps so they fled.
Summary: The Noises of Chimps are much more than the instinctive expression of fear; these are security warning among them. The researchers have discovered that vocalizations of chimps are employed in different circumstances. This discovery tells us something about the evolution of human language. Until now, it was thought that chimps were making vocalizations based on engrained instinct, but this discovery of intentional warning in chimps seems to upend this idea.