Monday 21 October 2013

Marmosets more polite than humans?

Marmosets-more-polite-than-humans

It has been recently reported that Marmosets have been seen to engage in conversation with one another, much like us humans would do. Scientists discovered that Marmosets, placed in a room and unable to see each other, would call to one another, waiting each time for the other to reply...something us humans seem to have forgotten how to do over the years. It has even been reported that they engage in conversations with complete strangers, sometimes for up to half an hour! 
Marmosets were chosen for this research as, unlike other chimps and our closest cousins, they tend to be very vocal. 
"The recordings revealed that the marmosets would wait for about five seconds after the other finished calling to respond - seemingly following "unspoken rules of conversational etiquette". - Lead researcher, Daniel Takahashi.
 It is also believed that these calls contain information that requires digestion by the receiving individual, also much like conversation had between two human beings. 
Researchers believe that this may show an alternative route for the evolution of our own communication and hope that, by furthering their studies, they can begin to understand the breakdown of our own conversation. 

It seems us humans could learn a thing or two about basic manners and conversation etiquette...and from a monkey!

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