I've heard of monkeys peeling bananas and riding bikes, but making weapons and killing things is scary. It's interesting to think that they are evolving like us, slowly becoming more creative and innovative. However, I'm also worried that they will start attacking humans and learn how to make better weapons. Some kind of "Planet of the Apes" scenario where we are oppressed by chimps. Aside from an irrational fear, this was the coolest article I've read in a long time. Maybe ever.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Monkeys With Weapons
Researchers have observed chimpanzees in the West African savannah making and using spears to hunt. This is a major step in evolution in hunting for animals other than humans. Although researchers have observed chimps throwing rocks, this is the first time they have seen chimpanzees actually brake branches off of trees and sharpen them into weapons. After sharpening the sticks with their teeth, they violently stab into bush baby nests and eat the small animals they killed. This use of wooden weapons leads scientists to believe that humans, similarly, crafted wooden weapons to hunt, instead of stone.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/22/AR2007022201007_2.html
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4 comments:
I think this is amazing. The chimpanzees are evolving in a way that is probably similar to how humans evolved in the past. They are crafting tools to make their lives easier. The wooden spears they crafted make it easier to get food so the way chimps live could change rapidly.
I also think that evolution is kind of scary, it always makes me think of the same movies and books that end really badly for humans. In real life, though, I think that evolution is a really cool thing that lets us see our world change before our very eyes. The world is never the way it was a year ago, a week ago, or a day ago.
Chimpanzees slowly evolving in a way much like humans and hunting with inovative techniques...who would'a'thought! I sure hadn't expected anything like this to start happening, much less in my lifetime! It's a scary thought to think these funny little creatures could ever intentionally harm a human being. Personally, I don't find it very likely that the monkeys will create better weapons than us but who knows? I can't tell the future.
I think this is interesting in how it just seems like a novelty now. However I do agree with you, that if the chimps were to evolve at a faster pace, it could prove dangerous. Evolution is really something you need to nip in the bud, because once it starts, it's not going to stop for anything. It's an absolute miracle they were able to stop smallpox, before it evolved into a drug-resistant form.
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