''Human Ape''
is a 2008
National Geographic documentary film on the genetic and evolutionary origins of
human behavior, and covers the genetic and behavioural similarities and differences between humans and other
great apes. The award-winning independent
production company Pioneer Productions
Pioneer Productions is a British television production company based in London, United Kingdom, specialising in scientific and other documentary productions.
History
Founded in 1988, by Nigel Henbest, Heather Couper and Stuart Carter, Pio ...
of
London was commissioned by National Geographic Channels International to produce ''Human Ape''.
Pioneer’s expertise with
special effects are showcased in documentary films such as ''The Living Body'', ''Life Before Birth'', ''
In the Womb: Animals'', ''In The Womb: Multiples'' and ''The Body Atlas'', all of which used wide-ranging techniques to explore the inner world of the
living organism
In biology, an organism () is any living system that functions as an individual entity. All organisms are composed of cells (cell theory). Organisms are classified by taxonomy into groups such as multicellular animals, plants, and fungi ...
s.
''Human Ape'' was executive produced by Stuart Carter for Pioneer Productions and directed by Martin Gorst. It was commissioned by Sydney Suissa, Executive Vice President (Content), National Geographic Channels International, and distributed by National Geographic Channel and
Granada International
ITV Studios is a British multinational television production and distribution company owned by the British television broadcaster ITV plc. It handles production and distribution of programmes broadcast on the ITV network and third-party broad ...
.
The show was aired on both the US and internationally on National Geographic Channel beginning in March 2008.
''Human Ape'' includes brief actual footage of
human and
ape
Apes (collectively Hominoidea ) are a clade of Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (though they were more widespread in Africa, most of Asia, and as well as Europe in prehistory), which together with its sister g ...
activities in
controlled experiments, as well as state-of-the-art computer-generated imagery (
CGI) to examine the relationship between humankind and our
simian cousins, with whom we share 99% of our genetic material. It also tracks the progress of a human and ape from the
womb to early development and beyond, analysing how both develop
cognitive abilities
Cognitive skills, also called cognitive functions, cognitive abilities or cognitive capacities, are brain-based skills which are needed in acquisition of knowledge, manipulation of information and reasoning. They have more to do with the mechanisms ...
, communicate through emotions and language, use
violence and
sex
Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while females produce larger ones (ova, ...
, and utilise
tools to manipulate their environment.
Bonobo
The bonobo (; ''Pan paniscus''), also historically called the pygmy chimpanzee and less often the dwarf chimpanzee or gracile chimpanzee, is an endangered great ape and one of the two species making up the genus '' Pan,'' the other being the comm ...
s and
orangutan
Orangutans are Hominidae, great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in ...
s living at
Great Ape Trust
Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements
* Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size
* Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent
People
* List of people known as "the Great"
*Artel Great (born ...
of
Iowa are prominently featured in the documentary film. Bonobos
Kanzi
Kanzi (born October 28, 1980), also known by the lexigram (from the character 太), is a male bonobo who has been the subject of several studies on great ape language. According to Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, a primatologist who has studied t ...
and
Panbanisha
Panbanisha (November 17, 1985 – November 6, 2012), also known by the lexigram , was a female bonobo that featured in studies on great ape language by Professor Sue Savage-Rumbaugh. Her name is Swahili for "to cleave together for the purpo ...
and orangutans Knobi and
Azy are extensively shown in the film, with detailed inputs from the Great Ape Trust scientists, Dr. Rob Shumaker, director of orangutan research, and
William Fields, director of bonobo research.
The Pioneer Productions crew filmed at Great Ape Trust in April 2007, where footage included mirror
self-recognition
In philosophy of self, self-awareness is the experience of one's own personality or individuality. It is not to be confused with consciousness in the sense of qualia. While consciousness is being aware of one's environment and body and lifest ...
exercises. It also includes some exciting experiments like the apes
counting
Counting is the process of determining the number of elements of a finite set of objects, i.e., determining the size of a set. The traditional way of counting consists of continually increasing a (mental or spoken) counter by a unit for every elem ...
and identifying the numbers from 1 to 10, not only with accuracy, but also with such speed that would put a human to shame. Whereas the human child is shown to be imitating the steps taken by one researcher to open a box and get a reward, the apes quickly eliminate the redundant steps. Such experiments are
counter-intuitive
A paradox is a logically self-contradictory statement or a statement that runs contrary to one's expectation. It is a statement that, despite apparently valid reasoning from true premises, leads to a seemingly self-contradictory or a logically u ...
and offer great deal of insights into the inner wiring and workings of the human and simian brains.
The film also briefly touches upon the relationship between the modified
FOXP2
Forkhead box protein P2 (FOXP2) is a protein that, in humans, is encoded by the ''FOXP2'' gene. FOXP2 is a member of the forkhead box family of transcription factors, proteins that regulate gene expression by binding to DNA. It is expressed i ...
gene and the human language development. It documents a
British family with a mutated FOXP2 gene which severely affects speech of its members.
Stuart Carter, Managing Director, Pioneer Productions was quoted by the website:
"We have long had a fascination with our genetic similarities to apes, and this film explores the question of how far these similarities go. Pioneer Productions specialises in cutting-edge scientific documentaries and this 2 hour landmark programme provides viewers with a fascinating insight into what really makes us human."
The website also quotes Sydney Suissa, Executive Vice President of Content, National Geographic Channels International:
"With their capacity for
memory,
communication and even
problem solving
Problem solving is the process of achieving a goal by overcoming obstacles, a frequent part of most activities. Problems in need of solutions range from simple personal tasks (e.g. how to turn on an appliance) to complex issues in business an ...
, apes may be more closely related to humans than we previously thought The ''Human Ape'' uses unique scientific research and some amazing 4d technology to examine our relationship with apes, enlightening viewers about our primate cousins."
Al Setka, Great Ape Trust communications director, is also quoted by the site:
"For decades, the world has been educated and entertained by National Geographic documentaries. This film, ''Human Ape'', continues in that tradition and will communicate to viewers the scientific importance of studying ape culture, language,
tool use
Tool use by animals is a phenomenon in which an animal uses any kind of tool in order to achieve a goal such as acquiring food and water, grooming, defence, communication, recreation or construction. Originally thought to be a skill possessed o ...
and
intelligence."
See also
*
Kanzi
Kanzi (born October 28, 1980), also known by the lexigram (from the character 太), is a male bonobo who has been the subject of several studies on great ape language. According to Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, a primatologist who has studied t ...
*
Panbanisha
Panbanisha (November 17, 1985 – November 6, 2012), also known by the lexigram , was a female bonobo that featured in studies on great ape language by Professor Sue Savage-Rumbaugh. Her name is Swahili for "to cleave together for the purpo ...
*
Sue Savage-Rumbaugh
References
External links
* https://web.archive.org/web/20090106023725/http://www.greatapetrust.org./media/releases/2008/nr_13a08.php
* http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/human-ape-3173/Overview#tab-facts
*
Kanzi:_The_Ape_at_the_Brink_of_the_Human_Mind_[Paperback/nowiki>.html" ;"title="aperback
">Kanzi: The Ape at the Brink of the Human Mind [Paperback
/nowiki>">aperback">Kanzi: The Ape at the Brink of the Human Mind [Paperback
/nowiki>*
Kanzi: The Ape at the Brink of the Human Mind
:: ''" ...remarkable story of a "talking" chimp, a leading scientist, and the profound insights they have uncovered about our species ''
:: ''"... featured in cover stories in Time, Newsweek, and National Geographic ... subject of a "NOVA" documentary ... directly responsible for discoveries ... forced the scientific community ...recast its thinking ... nature of the mind and the origins of language ... Kanzi ... overturned the idea that symbolic language is unique to our species..."''
The 'Human Ape' documentary
{{National Geographic films
National Geographic (American TV channel) original programming
Works about genetics