Baltimore, United States - February 03, 2025 In a groundbreaking study, bonobos have proven they can spot when humans are out of the loop—and they’ll point it out, literally. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University’s Social and Cognitive Origins Group discovered that bonobos recognize when humans lack crucial information and communicate to fill the gap. Published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study challenges the long-held belief that this level of social awareness is unique to humans. “The ability to sense gaps in one another’s knowledge is central to how we cooperate and communicate,” said Chris Krupenye, co-author and assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences. “This work demonstrates the rich mental foundations that humans and other apes share—and suggests these abilities evolved millions of years ago in our common ancestors.” The team worked with bonobos Nyota (25), Kanzi (43), and Teco (13) at the Ape Initiative. In simple yet revealing experiments, a researcher hid treats under cups. When the human partner didn’t see where the treat was placed, the bonobos quickly and insistently pointed to the right cup—sometimes tapping repeatedly to get attention. “They’d point right through the mesh,” Krupenye said. “Kanzi, especially motivated by food, was quite insistent, tapping several times to guide us.” This behavior mirrors observations of chimpanzees in the wild, who vocalize to warn unaware group members of dangers like snakes. The findings suggest that apes can hold two perspectives simultaneously: knowing where food is while understanding that their human partner doesn’t.