New research suggests wild chimpanzees have developed a far more nuanced communication system than previously realized, using several mechanisms that combine their vocalizations to create new meaning.

Humans are known to invent private hand gestures. Chimps in the wild do, too, a new study suggests. By Brandon Keim Parents and their children, or people who know each other well, often share some ...

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 have found two important building blocks of human speech in wild chimpanzees, one of our closest relatives. A pair of studies finds that chimp communication includes both rhythmic ...

SLRA copy 39088009263385 has bookplate: Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Gift in memory of Martin H. Moynihan, Founding Director of STRI. A Cross-Fostering Laboratory / R.A. Gardner -- Voiced and ...

The way that human adults talk to young children is unique among primates, a new study found. That might be one secret to our species’ grasp of language. By Carl Zimmer If you’ve ever cooed at a baby, ...

When we think about what sets humans apart from other animals, language often comes to mind. Language is more than words—it also relies on the ability to build shared understanding through ...