Research funded by the EU has discovered proof that non-human species plan for their future, a trait that was previously only thought to be attributable to humans. The work was supported through the ‘Stages in the evolution and development of sign use’ (SEDSU) project, which is financed through the ‘New and emerging science and technology’ (NEST) activity of the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). The research which was conducted at Lund University in Sweden has been published in the journal ‘Animal Cognition’. According to the journal, this study 'is the first to provide conclusive evidence of advanced planning capacities in non-human species.'

The apes were each shown a hose and how it could be used to get fruit soup, a popular ape delicacy. They were then tempted with their favourite fruit alongside the hose. This was to test their ability to suppress the choice of the immediate reward (their favourite fruit) in favour of a tool (the hose), which would lead to a larger reward in the form of fruit soup some 70 minutes later. The outcome of the study was that the apes chose the hose more frequently than their favourite fruit leading the researchers to believe the apes make choices in favour of future needs.

You can read more stories like this one in the July issue of European RTD Insight.