Chimps refine tool use

Simpler behaviours seem less tied to migration, scientists say.

Planet of the Apes may have been onto something.

Chimpanzees are steadily honing their tool-using skills – a process unfolding over millennia, driven by the exchange of ideas through migrations between populations, according to a new study published on Thursday in Science.

The finding in chimps – humans’ closest relatives – is relevant for people, too, as it supports the idea that, deep in the mists of time, our ape ancestors leveraged social connections to improve their technologies, lead author Cassandra Gunasekaram said.

Scientists have long marvelled at chimps’ ability to pass down intricate behaviours, like tool use, from one generation to the next.

Yet, while human civilization has leapt from the Stone Age to the Space Age, chimpanzee “culture” – defined as socially learned behaviours – seemed to have remained static.