Chimps show human-like cultural transmission, passing complex tools and innovations across generations.

Researchers have found that chimpanzees exhibit human-like cultural transmission, passing complex foraging techniques and innovations across generations. The study, published in Science, shows that chimps with advanced tool use are more genetically linked, suggesting that these skills develop and spread through social interactions and migrations, much like human cumulative culture. This indicates that chimps can improve their tool use over time through a form of cumulative culture, though it's slower than in humans.

November 21, 2024
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