EALING: While they may not exactly be gourmet experts, chimpanzees have enough cognitive skills to allow them to cook, according to a new study.
Researchers from Harvard University and Yale University discovered that chimpanzees are capable of understanding the concept behind cooking food. The animals have shown that they can postpone their need to eat raw food immediately and instead have it cooked in a similar manner as humans do.
These findings suggest that the trait could potentially be inherent in the common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees.
In a series of nine experiments conducted at the Tchimpounga Sanctuary in the Republic of Congo, the Harvard and Yale researchers studied how a group of chimpanzees would act in different scenarios.
Harvard psychologist Felix Warneken explained that the first experiment had the chimpanzees choose between raw or cooked sweet potatoes. Many of the animals chose the cooked sweet potatoes over the raw ones.
The second experiment determined whether or not the chimpanzees were capable of waiting for their food to be cooked, while the third and fourth experiments showed the animals choosing to cook their own food. They did this through the help of simple cooking devices that they learned how to operate.
The fifth experiment confirmed the chimpanzee’s aptitude for rudimentary cooking.
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