Bonobos communicate using a universal principle of human languages
The ability to put together meaningful ‘words’ to form a ‘sentence’ with a new meaning was thought to be unique to humans
Although their respective lineages diverged millions of years ago, bonobos and humans share 98.7% of their genome (the same as chimpanzees). Bonobos — which are endangered, with fewer than 20,000 remaining in the protected forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo — are known for their remarkable ability to communicate, even with humans. Now, research published in Science shows that they combine their vocalizations in a way that mirrors how humans put words together to form sentences, enabling them to communicate more complex messages. This ability was once thought to be unique to humans.
