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English 101 for bonobos
Researchers in Iowa plumb the language skills of apes at a center where the primates even watch their own videos. Part 2 of two.
By Amanda Paulson | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitorfrom the May 10, 2007 edition
Page 1 of 3
Des Moines, Iowa - Panbanisha wants coffee – a tall decaf Starbucks caramel macchiato, to be exact. Midway through a demonstration of her extensive vocabulary, obligingly pointing to the correct symbols on a complex board for "yogurt," "egg," and "hurt," she switches gears and points to the symbols for "candy" and "coffee" – her term for a caramel macchiato.
"You want coffee, Panbanisha?" asks William Fields, a senior researcher at Des Moines's Great Ape Trust – a question that Panbanisha responds to with an enthusiastic series of loud shrieks. A few more exchanges, and she's made sure he knows to get enough for the other six apes, to get "marshmallow" – her word for the foam on top – and to get the drinks now!
Panbanisha is a bonobo – one of the four great ape species, also sometimes called a pygmy chimpanzee, and one of the most humanlike. She is on the cutting edge of research that's revealing a surprising amount about how bonobos learn – and how similar to their human cousins they really are.
The exploration into one of the most fascinating dimensions of the animal kingdom is taking place in a new state-of-the-art research facility on the edge of this Midwestern city. Here, in a massive concrete-and-glass structure, scientists are watching how the bonobos interact as they live in conditions not unlike suburban America.
The primates, for instance, enjoy an enviable view of the lake and forest that surround the center, which they often get to explore when the weather cooperates. Inside, they have climbing towers and a splashing pool with a waterfall they can turn on themselves. When visitors come, the bonobos decide whether or not to let them into the special visiting room, where they can exchange food or other items from vending machines. They can watch videos – favorites include gorilla films and (does this sound familiar?) movies of themselves. They leaf through books and magazines. The bonobos seem to have everything but TiVo and a Toyota Camry in the driveway.
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At the center of the research here is language. The work at the Great Ape Trust grew out of a project begun more than 20 years ago in which researchers tried to use symbols – called lexigrams – to communicate with bonobos in a new way. They wanted to avoid criticisms of past language research, such as the possibility that apes were just responding to nonverbal signals.
