Being intolerant and short-tempered could be a sign of evolutionary superiority.Researchers at Harvard gave chimpanzees and bonobos, two species of apes that are among the closest living relatives to humans, a variety of reward-based tasks. Chimpanzees, who can be quite grumpy, especially as they age, consistently outperformed the bonobos, who maintain a childlike playfulness throughout their lives.
Victoria Wobble, the project's leader, believes the chimps' ability to put aside their sociability is one of the reasons they are more intelligent and civilized than their genetically similar great ape cousins. She also thinks the evolutionary development of chimpanzees and bonobos could provide insight into our own species.
As for our buddy Oscar, we're pretty sure the well-known grouch is more intelligent than the average green Muppet, but he clearly loses evolutionary points for his squalid living conditions.




































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Tuesday 02 February
By Billy
The words non sequitur come to my mind when I try to follow their logic.Intolerance and short temperance usually lead one to a Darwin's Award.
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Tuesday 02 February
By Gail
Billy, intolerance and short temper isn't the same thing as grumpy. Usually, what makes us grumpy people grumpy in the first place, is stupid people. So, it's possible that grumpy people have an intolerance to stupid people, but not necessarily intolerance in general. And I don't mean stupid in the sense of a low IQ.
Tuesday 02 February
By v
Gail, I agree. I think the choice of words for this article was poor. I also am not sure whether being grumpy causes one to become more evolved, or vice versa. I would think it's the latter; people who are more "evolved" or intelligent tend to become more grumpy. Any thoughts?
Tuesday 02 February
By Leila
What this blog fails to comprehend is that 'more evolved' has nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, to do with intelligence which was what the big to-do about their previous article about the evolution of the Y chromosome over the X was all about. Evolutionary fitness has to do with fertility and fecundity, not intelligence. Making a correlation to intelligence as to being more evolved by Ms. Wobble or by the AOL blogger is incorrect. What they should say is that the chimps show more intelligence because of the sociability factor and not include anything about evolution. 'More evolved' means absolutely nothing in this project.
Tuesday 02 February
By Brink
Be yourself by yourself stay the f%*$ away from me!
Reply
Tuesday 02 February
By foxx
WALK !!! Whadidjasay. lol.
Tuesday 02 February
By watdafuk
Mean people suck.
Reply
Tuesday 02 February
By ICEMAN
and but nice people swallow
Tuesday 02 February
By Kathy
and happy people gargle
Tuesday 02 February
By JackAssin
I am a soon to be 50 year old virgin, and my highly evolved brain has won me a seat on the 2012 getaway spaceship.
Tuesday 02 February
By ruben
I would Vicky, but Floridians have not evolved yet. :]
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Tuesday 02 February
By Keith
Maybe, just maybe, the Chimp is more evolved but two bits say the Bonobo has a lot more fun in life. I've never seen a happy grouch.
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Tuesday 02 February
By diagd
I would rather be the less-evolved happy person. Quality of life is everything!
Tuesday 02 February
By dingos8mybaby
No, less evolved people aren't grumpy, they are instead angry at "the Man" for holding them down, to make excuses for their squalor. But at least they have more fun at barbecues and in their traffic jams. (rolleyes)
Tuesday 02 February
By Carrie
If this is true then I can use it as my accuse for being the grump in the office. LOL
Reply
Tuesday 02 February
By ali
Carrie,
It would be and excuse, IF you could spell EXCUSE properly!
Tuesday 02 February
By linda
GOOD NOW MAYBE THERE'S HOPE FOR MY BOYFRIEND.
Reply
Tuesday 02 February
By Irene
Do you believe that man (or your boyfriend) evolved from the ape? It always leads to the question of how one who believes this can explain the fact that apes are still in existence. I have decided that there are just some men who prefer to remain apes.
Tuesday 02 February
By Kate
If that is correct, then I must be the most evolved person on earth!
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Tuesday 02 February
By morgayne999
Meg, sorry about the cat food part.
Richard that was insensitive but it made me laugh.
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