Bonobos' Complex Language: Beyond the Sum of its Parts
2025-04-03
Swiss scientists have discovered that bonobos can combine simple vocalizations into complex semantic structures, meaning their communication is more than just a sum of individual calls; it exhibits non-trivial compositionality—a trait once thought to be uniquely human. Researchers built a massive database of bonobo calls and used distributional semantics to decipher their meaning, offering a valuable insight into bonobo communication in the wild. This research was laborious, requiring researchers to wake early, trek to bonobo nests, and record calls and contextual information throughout the day.
AI
bonobos