Monkey experiments hint at origin of language
China Daily | Updated: 2019-05-30 07:23
PARIS - Green and vervet monkeys live on either side of Africa and their evolutionary paths diverged 3.5 million years ago, and yet the two species share a hard-wired vocabulary when faced with danger, clever experiments have shown.
The new research, published on Monday, sheds light not only on how primates - including humans - respond to threats, but also on the building blocks of language itself.
Vervet monkeys in the savanna of east Africa utter three distinct cries depending on whether they spot a leopard, a snake or an eagle, their three main predators.
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