Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id RAA02669 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 28 May 2002 17:21:20 +0100 Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 12:19:39 -0400 From: "Ray Recchia" <rrecchia@mail.clarityconnect.com> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: Report: chimps used simple tools 5 million years ago X-Mailer: WorldClient Pro 2.2.1 In-Reply-To: <342B9E90-7252-11D6-A229-003065A0F24C@harvard.edu> Message-ID: <1189519909-19946628@smtp.clarityconnect.com> Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Wade,
My recollection was that nut cracking with rocks was a very difficult
task to perform and had to be practiced many times before it could be
done right.
There is a distinction to be drawn between behaviors that any member of a
species is to learn on their own, and behaviors that may be spontaneously
generated only once every few generations if at all. Even for behaviors
that arise under the first category, imitation might speed up the process
of acquisition or influence the form of the behavior.
Ray Recchia
-----Original Message-----
From: Wade Smith <wade_smith@harvard.edu>
To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 11:47:24 -0400
Subject: Re: Report: chimps used simple tools 5 million years ago
>
> On Tuesday, May 28, 2002, at 10:39 , Bill Spight wrote:
>
> > When the youngster grabbed the treasure, the
> > adult pulled him out and took it away. ;-)
>
> Ha! That is the way I clean under the beds...!
>
> There are some very interesting studies of octopi showing them
> to be ready to use available (and available is the operating
> term here) items for useful purposes.
>
> I don't, however, think we're far at all from spider-webs, with
> this rudimentary tool use.
>
> - Wade
>
>
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