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Human Laughter Up To 16 Million Years Old

Posted by samzenpus on from the a-pierolapithecus-catalaunicus-walks-into-a-bar dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Published today in the journal Current Biology, a new study shows that laughter is not a unique human trait, but a behavior shared by all great apes. Tickle a baby chimpanzee and it will giggle just like a human infant. This is because laughter evolved millions of years ago in one of our common ancestors, say scientists."

4 of 149 comments (clear)

  1. Re:hmmm by bogjobber · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The logic used to state, with a straight face no less, that 2 animals which share the same trait must have evolved from a common organism is astoundingly incorrect. Just as much proof exists to say that they, at the very least, could have evolved from separate organisms. Shall I even mention the leap of faith required to even consider whether those same 2 animals evolved in the first place?

    OK, I'll bite. Nobody other than you is saying that humans *must* have evolved from a common ancestor with other apes simply because of a single shared trait. It's a very well-documented scientific fact that humans and other apes share a common ancestor. Modern genetics, biology, study of fossil records, etc. all repeatedly confirm this theory. And it's pretty reasonable to suggest that a trait present in all species of a family was present in their shared common ancestor.

    Science isn't a tool of "the liberal agenda." Evolve yourself a brain and read a fucking biology textbook.

  2. Re:No touchy! by thecod · · Score: 4, Insightful

    From the article:

    If you tickle an orangutan, for example, it makes a series of loud panting hoots; it would be easy to mistake these sounds for pain or distress, rather than joy.

    How do we know they're enjoying it and not just incapable of fighting it off like I was when I was little?

    Because they -are- capable of fighting it off!

  3. Re:No touchy! by Ignatius+D'Lusional · · Score: 3, Insightful

    That's a really good point... if tickling is a reflex that makes us "laugh" although it's clearly unpleasant (does anybody *actually* like to be tickled, other than masochists???), maybe tickling orangutans isn't the best way to research laughter. What we need to do is research their reaction to HUMOR.

    Obviously there aren't any orangutan joke writers (other than Jeff Foxworthy, I suppose), but if comedy stems from the tragedy of others, maybe we should find out if orangutans still "laugh" when they see another orangutan fall from a branch or something similar that humans universally find humorous.

  4. Re:No touchy! by sa1lnr · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "My point is, how do we know the apes are laughing?"

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8083230.stm

    I think the ape in the video would have ripped the guys arms off if he didn't like it.