Scientists perplexed to find chimpanzees can ‘catch’ yawns – even from robots
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Chimpanzees are aping robots and scientists are scratching their heads
- A new study reveals that chimpanzees can "catch" yawns from an android robot that imitates human facial expressions.
- Researchers found that chimpanzees yawned and lay down in response to yawns made by the android robot, suggesting that observing another individual yawn may act as a cue to rest.
- The study involved exposing 14 adult chimpanzees to an android head that simulated facial expressions, including yawns, gaping, and neutral expressions.
- Eight of the 14 chimpanzees yawned in response to the android’s "yawn" expression, with the highest contagion occurring when the android displayed a fully wide-open mouth.
- The findings shed light on primates’ susceptibility to contagiously induced behaviours, but the exact biological mechanisms surrounding contagious yawning remain unclear, prompting further research.