ANTHROPOLOGIST: ‘TALKING APES NOT SO FAR-FETCHED’

ANTHROPOLOGIST: ‘TALKING APES NOT SO FAR-FETCHED’

NEW YORK (Wireless Flash) – It sounds bananas, but talking gorillas like the ones in Planet Of The Apes aren’t that far-fetched. Columbia University anthropologist Dr. Ralph Holloway says chimps and humans have striking similarities in the part of the brain that controls language. He says research reveals that the “planum temporale” is proportionally the same size in chimps and humans. This doesn’t mean chimps can talk, but Holloway says it’s possible they have a complex communication system that humans haven’t translated. He says it’s also possible the “planum temporale” may allow chimps to communicate through grunts or some type of body language. Planet Of The Apes, which stars Mark Wahlberg, opens in U.S. theaters tomorrow.

Thu 07-26-01