Discuss this talk: Apes that write, start fires and play Pac-Man ( Susan Savage-Rumbaugh )
About this Talk
Savage-Rumbaugh's work with bonobo apes, which can understand spoken language and learn tasks by watching, forces the audience to rethink how much of what a species can do is determined by biology -- and how much by cultural exposure.
About Susan Savage-Rumbaugh
Susan Savage-Rumbaugh has made startling breakthroughs in her lifelong work with chimpanzees and bonobos, showing the animals to be adept in picking up language and other "intelligent" behaviors. Read full bio »
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