Chimps and humans—are we really the same kind?
by Daniel Anderson
Photo stock.xchng
LiveScience staff writer, Clara Moskowitz, in her article ‘What Separates
You From Chimps’1
writes that there is not much difference between humans and apes. It is largely
a summary analysis of a February 28 paper published in the peer reviewed journal
Current Biology. Moskowitz presents data and quotes that seem to confirm
evolutionary predictions of an extremely close relationship between humans and chimpanzees.
How factual are her claims? Let’s address several of her points:
Scientists keep finding more similarities between humans and chimps.
Actually, scientists are finding the opposite. Only as recently as June 2007 an
article in Science dispelled the long-held myth of 99% genetic similarity
between humans and chimps. Svante Paabo, a renowned evolutionary geneticist, stated,
‘In the end, it’s a political and social and cultural thing about how
we see our differences.’—see
Another evolutionary truth now conceded to be myth. For the evolutionist,
it appears to be a political, social, and cultural bias that leads them to establish
a close relationship between humans and chimps that may in fact not exist.
They share most of our genes, they seem to be able to handle tools, and they grasp
some English pretty well, too.
For years, chimpanzees were considered to be only 1% genetically dissimilar to humans.
A recent gene splicing study revealed a 6–8% difference.2 A 2003 study revealed a 13% difference in our respective
immune systems, and another study revealed a 17% difference in gene expression in
our cerebral cortexes—see
Another evolutionary truth now conceded to be myth. Better genetic technology
and increasing knowledge of the critical function of non coding regions (formerly
referred to as ‘Junk DNA’) appear to be revealing a trend. The more
we study, the more different we are becoming. This is troubling for evolutionary
predictions.
Now researchers have found that we share a similar brain pattern when communicating.
Broca’s area, located in the part of the human brain known as the inferior
frontal gyrus, has been shown to be critical for human speech and sign language.
When a person speaks, or even plans to say something, this region lights up with
activity. ‘This is the first time someone has measured activity in that area
in chimp brains,’ said Jared Taglialatela, a biologist at the Yerkes National
Primate Research Center in Atlanta. ‘It looks like a similarity between
humans and chimps.’
For the evolutionist, it appears to be a political, social, and cultural bias that
leads them to establish a close relationship between humans and chimps that may
in fact not exist.
Chimpanzees, like most other animals, are able to successfully communicate with
one another. Some chimpanzees have been able to learn and utilize sign language
through many hours of intense linguistic training under human instructors. It is
therefore no surprise that the language area of a chimpanzee’s brain demonstrates
measurable neurological activity when engaging in basic communication activities.
We would encourage similar testing in the linguistic center of bird brains as well,
since some birds have actually demonstrated a greater mastery of human language
than chimpanzees—see Bird-brain
matches chimps and Petulant
parrot proves a point.
Taglialatela and his colleagues used a PET scan to image activity in the brains
of three
chimps after doing two tasks. In one, the chimps asked for food by gesturing
and vocalizing—making grunts and other noises. In another they passed rocks
out of their cages in exchange for food, as they had been taught to do before. The
scientists found that Broca's area was activated in the chimps' brains after making
gestures and vocalizing, but not after the rock task, signaling that this brain
region is particularly tied to
communication. The finding, reported online Feb. 28 in the journal Current Biology,
narrows the gap between humans and chimpanzees a little bit more.
In the experimental sense, this is good science. The PET scan measured brain activity
in a linguistically oriented task that researchers were able to directly observe.
Again, we should strongly consider applying this technique to a variety of birds
and other mammals who express a high degree of intelligence and behavioral compatibility
with humans. Then, we would have a much greater data pool to draw more comprehensive
scientific conclusions.
However, the finding does little to narrow the gap between humans and chimpanzees.
Consider what chimpanzees are able to achieve with their language skills compared
to humans. Humans are able to utilize their linguistic capabilities to build high
tech civilizations, produce masterful works of art and music, write books, and teach
animals. Chimpanzees don’t build high tech civilizations, produce masterful
works of art and music, write books, or teach humans.
‘If we really want to talk about the big differences between humans and chimps—they're
covered in hair and we're not,’ Taglialatela told LiveScience. ‘Their
brains are about one-third the size of humans'. But the major differences come down
to ones of degree, not of kind.’
Taglialatela is applying a strong philosophical interpretation that bears little
semblance to scientific reality. If chimpanzees studied the universe, taught courses
on logic, performed elaborate religious rituals, built zoos, tamed a variety of
wild beasts, wrote literary masterpieces, taught their offspring objective moral
values, and sent rockets to the moon, then evolutionists would have a stronger case.
Also, many human beings with very small brains are still exponentially more intelligent
than chimpanzees. Human beings demonstrate a far greater intellectual, moral, and
spiritual capacity whether their brains are small or large. These verifiable differences
don’t require expert scientific knowledge to discern.
He [Taglialatela] said we share many profound likenesses with our closest animal
relations. They have been shown to possess remarkable language capacities, to have
the ability to make and use tools and even to learn behaviors from other members
of their community—all traits once thought to be the hallmarks of humanity.
One could make a strong case that chimpanzee intelligence doesn’t even stand
out in the animal world. Several parrots have displayed more developed
linguistic capacities. A number of animals such as elephants, dolphins, woodpecker
finches, and otters make and use tools—see
Primates spearing primates. New Caledonian crows are actually more innovative
in their tool making abilities than chimpanzees. Elephants display more a human-like
emotional capacity, despite a much smaller relative brain size than chimpanzees—see
Jumbo Minds. Pigs have
performed better in some animal intelligence tests than chimpanzees—see Decoding the dogma of DNA similarity.
Even fish have demonstrated a level of intelligence comparable to that of the great
apes—see Fish challenge
misconceptions. Yet, ultimately, it is humanity that studies, researches,
and masters these magnificent creatures, not the other way around.
Chimps have been trained to use computer touch screens to communicate with humans
and can understand many words of spoken English. They can also solve basic puzzles,
sequence numbers in order, and, in
one surprising study, beat college students on tests of short-term memory.
This is a critical point. Chimpanzees receive countless hours of human instruction
to achieve these feats. Chimpanzees are not creating logic and reasoning tests for
humans, building computer programs, or teaching human beings mathematical and memory
skills.
So what does separate us from apes? ... ‘There's some fairly good work with
regards to chimps making and using tools in the wild, but of course it doesn't really
compare to operating an MRI scanner.’ … ‘Their English comprehension
has been shown to be very sophisticated, but they could never have a conversation
like we're having right now,’ he said. ‘And recursiveness—the
ability to talk about language—is something I think is beyond the ability
of chimpanzees.’ Taglialatela also said chimps do not have the self-control
humans do. Where people often censor their words and actions to fit a social situation,
chimps generally act on impulse. If they are hungry, they will ask for food; if
they are angry at another chimp, they might take a swat at him.
This is getting back to good, honest science. As the biblical creation model predicts,
humans and chimpanzees are qualitatively different in their intellectual, linguistic,
and moral capacities. This is consistent with the biblical description that human
beings are the only creation made in the image of God.
‘They're not furry little humans, is what it comes down to,’ he said.
‘But nonetheless, they're not so different.’
On the contrary, the observational evidence seems to indicate a significant number
of critical differences between chimpanzees and humans. While we are very different
from chimpanzees, perhaps it is chimpanzees that are not all that different from
other animals.
Related articles
Recommended Resources
References
- Moskowitz, Clara,
What Separates You From Chimps, LiveScience, 28 February 2008.
Return to text.
- Calarco, J.A., et al.,
Global analysis of alternative splicing differences between humans and chimpanzees,
Genes & Development 21:2963–2975, 2007; <genesdev.org/cgi/content/abstract/21/22/2963>
Return to text.
Published: 4 April 2008(GMT+10)
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