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Ape Genius
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Program Overview
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Note: This program includes a short scene where bonobos are
shown engaging in mating and social bonding activities. Please
preview the program to determine its appropriateness for your
classroom.
NOVA explores evidence for intelligence and culture among the apes
and ponders the question about what differences exist between apes
and humans.
The program:
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presents field observations of apes in Senegal, Africa, who have
been seen hunting for small primates (called bush babies) with
spears they have made from tree branches.
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reports on experiments designed to understand more about the
mechanical aptitude of apes.
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reveals the surprising discovery that chimpanzees—who were
thought to fear water—were seen cooling off in a tiny
pond.
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explores the ways that apes master imitation, a skill considered
core to the development of human culture.
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reviews Jane Goodall's research that revealed the ability of
chimpanzees to craft tools made for a specific purpose and
contributed to the idea that chimpanzees have emotional lives as
exhibited through behaviors such as mother-baby bonding.
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presents experiments that seek to discover whether, and to what
extent, apes can cooperate.
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details studies that investigate both the positive and negative
social emotions of apes.
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surveys research done to better understand the abilities of apes
to do math and communicate with humans.
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provides reasons why, even though apes exhibit a number of
behaviors that suggest that they have some degree of culture,
they fall far short of what humans achieve.
Taping Rights: Can be used up to one year after program is
recorded off the air.
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