Sign-language chimp dies

[madinmaryland]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/10/31/signing.chimp.dies.ap/index.html

SPOKANE, Washington (AP) -- Washoe, a female chimpanzee said to be the first non-human to acquire human language, has died of natural causes at the research institute where she was kept.

Washoe, who first learned a bit of American Sign Language in a research project in Nevada, had been living on Central Washington University's Ellensburg campus since 1980. Her keepers said she had a vocabulary of about 250 words, although critics contended Washoe and some other primates learned to imitate sign language, but did not develop true language skills.

She died Tuesday night, according to Roger and Deborah Fouts, co-founders of The Chimpanzee and Human Communications Institute on the campus. She was born in Africa about 1965.

She was taken to the veterinary hospital at Washington State University on Wednesday for a necropsy. Her memorial will be November 12.

:cry:

[no_hypocrisy]

1. *'s smarter brother?

[madinmaryland]

4. She's actually higher up on the evolution ladder, than

* or his family!

[Solly Mack]

2. Sleep free, Washoe

Thank you for posting.

[petersjo02]

3. This is a lovely, although sad, story

I don't understand why it is so hard for some people (those "critics") to accept the fact that chimps--and other of the great apes, too, likely--can learn to communicate with us. Washoe had a long life among us. It is wonderful that those who worked with, cared for, and, I hope, loved her will be holding a service to honor her memory.

[jcla]

5. Why critics find it hard to accept....

Dear petersjo02,
Many critics do not believe that humans descended from another animal... Many critics that do believe we are descended for animals were offended when Jane Goodall proved that the definition of Man as the "toolmaker" was not true for us as it included our close relatives...Chimps, gorillas and Orangs
As Goodall and many primatologist now believe (and have proven to my satisfaction) we are not separated from the animal kingdom buy a large gap but by a matter of small degrees.
Too many people want those small degrees to still be a huge gap...

[aikoaiko]

7. communication was not the question -- its about language

Not to sound pedantic, but psycholinguists distinguish between the use of symbols, sounds, gestures to communicate and being about to use rules for generating and understanding novel combinations of symbols. Psycholinguists call those rules grammar and they elevate communication to language.

Other animals simply have never shown (or we've been able to detect) the use of grammar in natural or artifically based communication.

[book_worm]

6. I guess this is why it's an offense to call * "chimp" since they are so much brighter and have more

personality.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

8. Washoe was AMAZING!

Not only was she able to communicate her wants, needs, and emotions through ASL but passed it along to her children!

The book "Next of Kin" is a remarkle recounting of her journey and the work Roger Fouts did with chimps and ASL. It is inspiring, heartbreaking, and funny all at once.

And you will never looking at medical research on chimps in the same way again. :cry:

Roger must be devastated by this -- they were truly family.