It’s a study that could throw a monkey wrench into our understanding of the primate brain. Vittorio Gallese of the University of Parma, Italy, has found that macaques can predict the future actions of others, casting doubt on the long-held idea that monkeys cannot understand other beings as agents with their own perspectives and intentions.
Six macaque monkeys were shown a simple goal-related task – a woman reaching over a tall obstacle to pick up a toy resting on the other side. Once the monkeys had got used to this, the obstacle was removed so that the woman could simply…
