Mathematical monkeys?

1996/05/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Matematika

Monkeys will probably not be mathematical experts, but some scientists believe they have better ability for numbers than children. These researchers consider that grammatical and arithmetic capacities are closely linked, since both require a thought structure.

After several tests with the monkeys living in freedom, a researcher has been able to verify that these primates are able to perform mathematical operations. The researcher asks: “the animal sees the banana tree hanging or there is a banana and if I catch another tells me that I will have two”.

In his search for an answer, he performed a curious arithmetic test on the monkeys. Under his gaze he placed two pieces of fruit on the ground and, once between them, in a hidden way, removed a grain. One in five of the monkeys looked at the entire operation more than twice, surprised by the exception subtraction.

Evidence has shown that all primates, both monkeys and humans, have the same minimum mathematical abilities. However, the researcher himself has recognized that, in the absence of further evidence, it cannot be said that monkeys dominate the substrates and sums.

However, if this capacity unites us to both species, the work of researchers would be to find a characteristic that differentiates man from monkey.