A study conducted by researchers from the University of St Andrews has found striking similarities between the conversational patterns of chimpanzees and humans.
The research team observed that chimpanzees engage in turn-taking communication using gestures, facial expressions, and occasional interruptions, with response times ranging from milliseconds to seconds, remarkably similar to human conversational structures.
Different chimpanzee groups exhibit slight variations in conversation timings, suggesting the presence of cultural differences in communication patterns.
Chimpanzees use short gesture exchanges to convey desires, make requests, communicate needs, and reach agreements, helping them achieve social goals, avoid conflict, and coordinate, similar to human communication.
The findings suggest shared evolutionary roots of human and chimpanzee communication and provide insights into the evolution of conversational rules.
Sources: BBC, Independent, Habertürk Anadolu Ajansı, Herald Scotland, MyJoyOnline, RocketNews, The Times, STV News Daily Mail, Shropshire Star.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
