de Waal Frans B M
Living Links, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 North Gatewood Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.
Nature. 2005 Sep 1;437(7055):56-9. doi: 10.1038/nature03999.
A century of research on chimpanzees, both in their natural habitat and in captivity, has brought these apes socially, emotionally and mentally much closer to us. Parallels and homologues between chimpanzee and human behaviour range from tool-technology and cultural learning to power politics and intercommunity warfare. Few behavioural domains have remained untouched by this increased knowledge, which has dramatically challenged the way we view ourselves. The sequencing of the chimpanzee genome will no doubt bring more surprises and insights. Humans do occupy a special place among the primates, but this place increasingly has to be defined against a backdrop of substantial similarity.
在自然栖息地和圈养环境中对黑猩猩长达一个世纪的研究，让这些猿类在社交、情感和智力方面与我们更为接近。黑猩猩和人类行为之间的相似之处和同源性涵盖了从工具技术、文化学习到权力政治和群体间战争等诸多方面。随着我们对黑猩猩了解的增加，几乎没有哪个行为领域未受影响，这极大地挑战了我们看待自身的方式。黑猩猩基因组测序无疑将带来更多惊喜和深刻见解。人类在灵长类动物中确实占据着特殊地位，但这个地位越来越需要在存在大量相似性的背景下来界定。
