Carolyn Gregoire — The 'Human' Quality We Share With Baboons

Nurture heritable?

The baboons who performed in the "transmission chain" of knowledge performed better than a control group of randomly tested baboons -- their success rate on the memory game (determined by correct memorization of three of the four squares) increased from 80 percent to over 95 percent over the generations. The researchers observed all three of the necessary components that define cumulative cultural evolution: progressive increase in performance over time, emergence of systematic structures, and "lineage specificity," meaning knowledge shared specifically within the group.

"This study shows that, like humans, baboons have the ability to transmit and accumulate changes over 'cultural generations' and that these incremental changes, which may differ depending on the chain, become structured and more efficient," the study's press release notes.

The Huffington Post

The 'Human' Quality We Share With Baboons
Carolyn Gregoire