Chimpanzees are humans' closest living relatives. But does much of their communication resembles ours? According to a new study published earlier this week in the journal Current Biology, chimpanzees gesture back-and-forth in a similar way to how humans take turns speaking. The research presents an intriguing possibility that this style of communication may have evolved before humans split off from great apes, and tells researchers more about how turn-taking evolved.

Interested in more science news? Email us at [email protected].

Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy