The study focused on Kanzi, a language-trained bonobo who died in March 2025 at the age of 44. Ape Initiative.

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Hundreds of hours of recordings suggest that the apes can generate meaning by stringing sounds together in pairs. But some scholars are skeptical. By Carl Zimmer After listening to hundreds of hours ...

Most of us spend the day tossing out words without thinking about how they fit together. We text, we talk, we grumble in traffic. Every sentence quietly combines pieces of meaning. Now, scientists ...

A bonobo that took part in a pretend tea party like those acted out by young children has shown that our closest primate relatives have the capacity for make believe. Kanzi the bonobo (Pan paniscus) ...

World Bonobo Day reminds us that one of our closest relatives lives by cooperation, not conflict, and now faces serious ...

Imagination may not be a privilege for humans alone, as research with a language-experienced bonobo in controlled cognitive ...

This research received funds from the Swiss National Science Foundation and Harvard University. Humans can effortlessly talk about an infinite number of topics, from neuroscience to pink elephants, by ...