Can Apes Outthink Humans?

According to The Associated Press, scientists have discovered that the DNA of a bonobo ape is only about 1.3 percent different from humans. And ape behavior continues to astonish scientists as they demonstrate thinking processes and capabilities we never thought possible. For instance, one study showed bonobos will "pack" the tools they need to access food if they're moving to a remote location for the night, and remember to take them with the next day.

Another study showed that if one chimpanzee can see a piece of food and another cannot, the chimp that can see the food is able to recognize this advantage and keep the food hidden -- in other words, chimps are able to put themselves in another's shoes. Another study tried to determine how many pictures baboons could memorize over the course of three years, and by the end of the study, they could remember the pictures better than the scientists testing them.

Emory University primatologist Frans de Waal told AP, "Capacities that we think in humans are very special and complex are probably not so special and not so complex. This research in animals elevates the animals, but it also brings down the humans... If monkeys can do it and maybe dogs and other animals, maybe it's not as complex as you think." Do you think apes have the brainpower to outthink humans?