Did you know that expression “Clever like a monkey” Was, originally, not necessarily the most satisfying? Because in the past, the prevailing belief made the monkey a creature of Satan. So we had to hear “Deft” meaning “Harmful” Much more than it means“Deft” or” Clever “.

Then the scientists participated. They taught us that apes belong to the same order as humans. that monkeys. those that are called great monkeys We have directly merged our family, the family of humans. chimpanzee or bonobos monkeys So they are our cousins. Thus, when we speak, in the language of everyday life, about ” for us monkey ancestor »it is better to setcommon ancestorWhich we probably lived with the great apes that lived nearly six million years ago.

Over the past few decades, researchers have also discovered that monkeys are very intelligent. “Deft” in the intended sense ” Clever “, this time. They really started to realize that in the ’60s. Jane GoodallA young British behavioral scientist observed a chimpanzee using a twig to hunt termites. The first evidence that the use of tools was not limited to humans. The first evidence that animals, too, can rely on some form ofintelligence.

From there, scientists discovered all kinds of cognitive abilities in our ape cousins. They have a memory. They know how to learn and pass on. They love to play. They know how to identify themselves in a file Mirror. The chimpanzees were seen looking left and right before crossing the road. and rememberCoco’s storya female gorilla who learned to speak with her hands… Finally, great apes can become smarter than some of our ancestors.

The ‘virtual mode network’ that makes all the difference

To get to the bottom of the matter, the researchers went further. They were interested in the brains of four species of primates: mouse lemurs Mouse, monkey, macaque and … man. And, more precisely, even to their brain networks. Those that connect different brain regions together.

In humans, scientists have identified a very amazing network. they call it “Network default mode”. connecting kit areas of our brain . and this is “Network default mode” It is associated with self-reflection, self-reflection, and planning for the future. It activates especially when…we do nothing!

However, researchers now assert that in the non-human primates they studied, there are two specific regions of brain connected by “Network default mode” They communicate quite a bit when these monkeys are at rest. It’s about prefrontal cortex The mediator, which is responsible for processing information, and the posterior cingulate cortex, which serves as OrganizerInteractions between brain regions. According to scientists, this is a sign that this famous web is not found symmetrically in these primates. Although scientists still believe that “default mode” Of our cousins, the great apes, they may be more similar to us.

This organization is for the human being from default mode network It could be he who offered us the possibility of developing an abstract in particular. Distinguish our intelligence from that of other primates. Even if it remains for sure that the monkey… is not that stupid!