Latest Marina Davila Ross Stories

When researchers set out to study the origins of human laughter, some gorillas and chimps were literally tickled to assist. The scientists tickled 22 young orangutans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and bonobos, as well as three human infants, then acoustically analyzed the laughing sounds they produced.  The results led researchers to conclude that people and great apes inherited laughter from a common ancestor that lived more than 10 million years ago.Although the vocalizations varied, the...