this post was submitted on 05 Feb 2025

128 points (95.7% liked)

Uplifting News

12814 readers

12 users here now

Welcome to /c/UpliftingNews, a dedicated space where optimism and positivity converge to bring you the most heartening and inspiring stories from around the world. We strive to curate and share content that lights up your day, invigorates your spirit, and inspires you to spread positivity in your own way. This is a sanctuary for those seeking a break from the incessant negativity often found in today's news cycle. From acts of everyday kindness to large-scale philanthropic efforts, from individual achievements to community triumphs, we bring you news that gives hope, fosters empathy, and strengthens the belief in humanity's capacity for good.

Here in /c/UpliftingNews, we uphold the values of respect, empathy, and inclusivity, fostering a supportive and vibrant community. We encourage you to share your positive news, comment, engage in uplifting conversations, and find solace in the goodness that exists around us. We are more than a news-sharing platform; we are a community built on the power of positivity and the collective desire for a more hopeful world. Remember, your small acts of kindness can be someone else's big ray of hope. Be part of the positivity revolution; share, uplift, inspire!

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

WandererLagomorph770@lemmy.world

wolfeh@lemmy.world

Flummoxed@lemmy.today

sga@lemmings.world

sga013@lemmy.world

128

Bonobos Can Tell When a Human Doesn’t Know Something (www.scientificamerican.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago by FlyingSquid@lemmy.world to c/upliftingnews@lemmy.world

24 comments fedilink hide all child comments

top 24 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] YamahaRevstar@lemmy.world 44 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Oh, shit. Good thing my boss is a chimpanzee.

[–] Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io 5 points 2 weeks ago

He'll never know!

[–] scarabic@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I mean… a lot of Bonobo behavior would be inappropriate in the workplace.

[–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 weeks ago

I dunno, I think an increase in mutual oral activity would help most jobs

[–] YamahaRevstar@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

Probably less racist than my Gen X conservative boss though. Probably smarter and more efficient too.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Chimpanzees and bonobos are separate species. Your boss cannot help you. You're on your own.

[–] YamahaRevstar@lemmy.world 22 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I know. That's what makes my joke good.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago

Thank you for recognizing I couldn't tell something and pointing me in the right direction. You would make a good bonobo.

[–] Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io 3 points 2 weeks ago

That may be the case, regardless of species.

[–] Aggravationstation@feddit.uk 22 points 2 weeks ago

Bonobo: This motherfucker doesn't know algebra, I can tell.

[–] Adalast@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

So Bonobos have more capacity to judge the topical authority of people than most people do. Very interesting.

[–] Terminal_ERROR@lemm.ee 2 points 2 weeks ago

We should put one and a human handler in the white house to see how knowledgeable the new admistration is.

[–] NotLemming@lemm.ee 1 points 1 week ago

Bonobo needs to judge us puny humans, and he can start with trump

[+] 7uWqKj@lemmy.world -42 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

"They can tell" implies "they can speak“. No they can’t. #Clickbait

[–] cygnus@lemmy.ca 27 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

“They can tell” implies "they can speak“

That... isn't what that phrase means in English. I assume you're new to the language?

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 24 points 2 weeks ago

If I'm choking, I can sure tell people about it despite being unable to speak.

[–] Carrolade@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago

Colloquially, in English, "I can tell that..." directly translates to "I can discern/detect that...". An example would be in a game of poker, "I can tell that you're bluffing".

The ability or desire to communicate what you have become aware of is irrelevant.

[–] ieatpwns@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Let me guess humans are the only intelligence on the planet too huh

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Not the ones who use sign language, apparently.

Or at least they can't tell you anything.

[–] blakenong@lemmings.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

[–] yesman@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

This isn't intended as a correction, more of a relevant FYI:

Primate's ability to sign has been wildly overstated. Koko the Gorilla was a lot closer to a chicken playing tick-tack-toe than Cesar from Planet of the Apes.

Like the chicken, Koko's ability seemed dependent on the presence of her trainer. For example, her trainer would often explain that a nonsense word or sentence that the animal signed "rhymed" with what that she intended. Of course "rhyming" in sign language is a thing, but it works completely different than it does in speech.

Chomsky was right, language is human firmware and cannot be taught to our cousins. The history of our effort to do are mostly stories of animal abuse peppered with some human tragedy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7wFotDKEF4

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

I wasn't talking about non-human primates in the first place, but I do not disagree with you.

[–] ToyDork@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago

Oh, come on! Yes, that's true, but this isn't about language. It's about communication, but not language. Bonobos pick up on our subtle tells, if we are unaware of something, it's entirely possible that's because they can smell our emotional state. That's how dogs know. Animals aren't stupid, just extremely limited and surprisingly alien.