Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery that bonobos, our closest living relatives in the animal kingdom, are capable of playing make-believe just like children. Researchers from the University of St Andrews and Johns Hopkins University conducted an experiment with a bonobo named Kanzi, who was able to identify the location of imaginary objects in pretend scenarios.
The study, published in the journal Science, used Kanzi as a test subject to understand his ability to comprehend pretend liquids. The researchers first trained Kanzi to point to containers filled with juice by rewarding him for doing so. Then, they presented him with two empty transparent cups and pretended to fill them with an empty jug. Kanzi was asked to indicate which of the cups contained juice.
To their surprise, Kanzi selected the correct cup in 34 out of 50 trials, suggesting that he had a clear understanding of the concept of pretend liquids. What's more striking is that Kanzi's performance improved when he was not rewarded for the correct answer, indicating that he genuinely believed the liquid was being poured into one of the cups.
The researchers also tested Kanzi's ability to distinguish between tangible and imaginary juice by presenting him with a cup containing real liquid and another left empty. In 14 out of 18 trials, Kanzi chose the cup with real liquid, further demonstrating his understanding of pretend objects.
This study provides experimental evidence that non-human animals can follow imaginary objects in pretend scenarios, challenging the notion that make-believe is uniquely human. The researchers suggest that this ability could have evolved as far back as 6-9 million years ago, during our common ancestor with bonobos.
The implications of this discovery are significant, as it highlights the advanced cognitive abilities of our closest living relatives and their capacity for imaginative thinking. As Prof. Zanna Clay from Durham University noted, "It's striking that our closest living relatives can do something we can do too," and that further work is needed to explore this ability in apes without Kanzi's unique rearing and learning environment.
The study provides a fascinating glimpse into the cognitive abilities of bonobos and challenges us to rethink our assumptions about the evolution of human intelligence. As we continue to learn more about our animal cousins, it becomes increasingly clear that they are not as different from us as we once thought.
The study, published in the journal Science, used Kanzi as a test subject to understand his ability to comprehend pretend liquids. The researchers first trained Kanzi to point to containers filled with juice by rewarding him for doing so. Then, they presented him with two empty transparent cups and pretended to fill them with an empty jug. Kanzi was asked to indicate which of the cups contained juice.
To their surprise, Kanzi selected the correct cup in 34 out of 50 trials, suggesting that he had a clear understanding of the concept of pretend liquids. What's more striking is that Kanzi's performance improved when he was not rewarded for the correct answer, indicating that he genuinely believed the liquid was being poured into one of the cups.
The researchers also tested Kanzi's ability to distinguish between tangible and imaginary juice by presenting him with a cup containing real liquid and another left empty. In 14 out of 18 trials, Kanzi chose the cup with real liquid, further demonstrating his understanding of pretend objects.
This study provides experimental evidence that non-human animals can follow imaginary objects in pretend scenarios, challenging the notion that make-believe is uniquely human. The researchers suggest that this ability could have evolved as far back as 6-9 million years ago, during our common ancestor with bonobos.
The implications of this discovery are significant, as it highlights the advanced cognitive abilities of our closest living relatives and their capacity for imaginative thinking. As Prof. Zanna Clay from Durham University noted, "It's striking that our closest living relatives can do something we can do too," and that further work is needed to explore this ability in apes without Kanzi's unique rearing and learning environment.
The study provides a fascinating glimpse into the cognitive abilities of bonobos and challenges us to rethink our assumptions about the evolution of human intelligence. As we continue to learn more about our animal cousins, it becomes increasingly clear that they are not as different from us as we once thought.
scientists r tryin 2 figure out if animals can do pretend play like kids do 
my brain is blowin just thinkin bout bonobos havin skills like kanzi 
he gets it right even when theres no juice lol . i dont get wut they mean by common ancestor tho 
is that like, a relative or somethin ? 
anywayz, cant wait 2 c more about dis cuz its so amazin 
I'm literally mind blown by this study! I mean, who knew bonobos could pull off a game of pretend like humans do? It's wild to think that Kanzi was able to understand the concept of pretend liquids and even chose the correct cup without being rewarded for it. And can you believe his performance improved when he wasn't being paid for it? That's some serious cognitive flexibility right there! 
I'm also loving how this study challenges our assumptions about human intelligence and how we perceive ourselves as the only ones who can play make-believe. It just goes to show that our closest living relatives are way more clever than we gave them credit for. 
I'm not mad at the fact that we have advanced cognitive abilities compared to bonobos, but now I'm feeling kinda bad for my dog when he tries to play "fetch" with a ball and I just throw it away because it's not really there 
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! Kanzi the bonobo was able to identify imaginary objects in pretend scenarios and even told a joke 
It's mind blowing that we've been underestimating their cognitive abilities for so long 
. And the fact that Kanzi's performance improved when he wasn't rewarded is like, proof that he was actually playing along 
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! That's a lot of time for our ancestors to be figuring out how to play pretend 
, because I'm dying to know what else our furry friends can do 