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HUMAN VS CHIMP

By Joe Reeves ⋅ December 10, 2007 ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

No, not the title of a new reality cage-fighting show where man is pitted against monkey. This is the premise of a study by a Japanese university suggesting “young chimpanzees have a better memory than human adults”. Good on them. Whilst we act like we’re the big boys and girls on this planet, we do, in fact, share it with other species. It’s about time they got the respect they deserve. Especially chimps. After all, they have an intimidating history which we would be foolish to ignore. They got into space first, they have the ear of bizarre pop deity Michael Jackson and, as we saw to our horror in ‘Planet of the Apes’, when they get their act together they can be a really dangerous outfit.

Concerning me most, however, is that the study which proclaimed their memorial dominance was a scientific battle against students. Yes, you. The study’s significance begins to escape me. Of course chimps are going to have a better memory than students. Particularly as deadlines approach, student brains are overcome with trying to remember important, relevant things. Add this to the fact that chimps eat fruit and veg all day as opposed to microwave chips and £1 Lidl pizzas and you can see why they appeared smarter.

Joseph Reeves