Chimps Learn to Use Tools from Others; Planet of the Apes Coming True?

Chimps may be more cultured than we once thought. They can learn to use tools more efficiently by watching how others use them, according to a new study. It may point to the fact that animals can satisfy the basic requirement of culture: social learning. Don't worry, though. It's unlikely that Planet of the Apes is coming true any time soon.

The new study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, examined nine captive chimpanzees at the Primate Research Institute at Kyoto University. Researchers, including Shinya Yamamoto and colleagues, then gave the chimpanzees a straw-like tube that they could use to obtain juice from a bottle through a small hole. The chimps used one of two techniques to get the juice: "dipping" and "straw-sucking." Needless to say, the straw-sucking was far more effective. The dipping method involved the chimps inserting the straw into the juice before removing it to suck on its end.

Although five chimps initially used the dipping method and four used the straw-sucking method, eventually all of them learned to use the straw-sucking method. The researchers paired each of the five chimps who dipped with a straw-sucker. Four of the dippers switched to straw-sucking after watching how effective the new method was. The fifth dipper, though, needed a bit of encouragement. The chimp only switched to the new method after watching a human use it. Researchers theorize that the one that didn't adopt the behavior right away may have been subordinate to her partner chimp.

The fact that the chimps could learn from their peers shows social learning. The findings contrast with the results of previous studies that have shown that chimps don't always adopt an improved technique used by others. The success of this particular study could be that the adoption of the new behavior was no more physically or mentally difficult than the original behavior.

The study shows that apes are very capable of social learning, and runs up against the debate about whether or not animals have culture.