Breaking News: Apes Might Actually Have Imagination

Scientists just made a pretty wild discovery: an ape in captivity can apparently play pretend. We’re talking full-on, tea-party-with-invisible-friends style imagination. It’s a first, and it’s kind of a big deal.

The Experiment

Researchers set up an imaginary tea party to see if their ape subject would play along. And, well, it did. This doesn’t necessarily mean the ape’s hosting fancy dinner parties in its head, but it’s a start. It’s not every day you see an animal using its brain to conjure up something that’s not actually there.

It’s ridiculous to think that apes might be more creative than some humans, but here we are. The study’s findings are pretty interesting, even if they won’t change your life. But hey, who knows, maybe one day we’ll have apes writing novels or something. Don’t hold your breath, though.