Bonobo Demonstrates Imaginary Thinking, Blurring Lines Between Ape and Human Minds
Johns Hopkins researchers conducted three tea-party–style experiments with Kanzi the bonobo to test pretend play. In the tasks, he identified pretend juice and grapes in imaginary scenarios, often selecting the cup or jar corresponding to the pretend object; he also favored real juice when both were present. The results, consistently above chance, show that an ape can imagine objects that aren’t present, challenging the idea that imagination is uniquely human and suggesting deep evolutionary roots that may extend to a common ancestor 6–9 million years ago.
