Which Chimp Should Wield The Crystal?
defector.com • • science
Key Points:
- Over 700,000 years ago, early humans like Homo erectus collected quartz crystals not as tools but likely for symbolic or abstract reasons, a behavior supported by archaeological finds across Asia, Africa, and Europe.
- Researcher Juan Manuel García-Ruiz hypothesizes that crystals may have played a role in the development of abstract thinking and consciousness among early hominins.
- In experiments with captive chimpanzees, García-Ruiz and colleagues demonstrated that chimps show a clear preference for crystals over ordinary stones, examining their shape, transparency, and luster for extended periods.
- Individual chimps exhibited varying levels of "crystal allure," with some like Sandy and Toti displaying sophisticated behaviors such as sorting crystals by type
