The Mind-Reading Apes: Bonobos Adjust Their Communication Based on Human Knowledge

New research challenges our assumptions about theory of mind in nonhuman primates.

Do Bonobos Know What You Know?

For years, primatologists have debated whether our closest relatives, the great apes, possess a "theory of mind"—the ability to infer what others know or don’t know. While chimpanzees have shown signs of understanding another’s perspective, the question has remained unresolved for bonobos. A new study published in PNAS¹ by L…