Sorry, I messed up the posted link. This is the correct link:

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/susansavagerumbaughonapesthatwrite.html

Ok, well I guess I don't know how to post a link which has underscores within the address. I put in the correct link and when I posted it, it removed the underscores, thus making the link unusable.

Just put the link inside of brackets, you know the less than and greater than signs.

You can also copy and paste the embed code they provide at the TED site which I added.

The default encoding is Markdown there are several other methods allowed just change the formatting. I like Markdown because it lets you mix and match straight html if you prefer.

Kevin,

Thanks for posting this beautiful piece. I laughed at some of the moments for the simple absurdity of it and yet was truly moved by the bonobo's abilities.

It was both humbling and inspiring to behold another creature in this light.

Fun video and smart apes, but I really get the impression that these researchers sit around and try to get the apes to do human like behavior. The apes just happened to see a researcher playing electric key board? That woman leaps across the table and kisses the gorilla every time the complete a "song", and I am supposed to take this as some appreciation of music?

Lets all go down to the monkey cages and hand out lighters and see how many monkeys start a fire.

I am not knocking the evidence of evolution nor the non human intelligence inherent in these animals, but the research here looks more like childless older women talking about how smart their dogs are rather than scientist really trying to test the mental capacities of intelligent animals.

Thanks for posting; it was cool to watch.

I have to disagree with the film narrator, though, when she said the bonobos weren't trained. The bonobos are collared and on leashes outside. The "sharing of cultures" is a form of training. In a way i'm agreeing with R7, although not entirely.

We didn't get to see every aspect of the research, and haven't witnessed what's gone on for 30 years. A good comparison study would be working with non-primates and tabulating the adaptations they and we would make. Sort of like that video of the painting elephants,only more indepth work.