News Animals

Chimp chatter is a lot more like human language than previously thought

By combining different sounds, the apes unlock sophisticated communication abilities

A photo of a wild female chimpanzee

A female wild chimpanzee (shown) uses vocal communication. The apes combine single sounds to create phrases with new meanings, much like in human language, a new study finds.

Liran Samuni/ Taï Chimpanzee Project

By Jake Buehler

Grunts, barks, screams and pants ring through Taï National Park in Cȏte d’Ivoire. Chimpanzees there combine these different calls like linguistic Legos to relay complex meanings when communicating, researchers report May 9 in Science Advances.