How the chimpanzee Nim Chimpsky was treated was wrong, and such invasive research should be consigned to history
"Men have forgotten this truth," said the fox. "But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."
– Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
Perhaps Herbert Terrace, professor of psychology at Columbia University, and director of the experiment that is the subject of Project Nim, a new documentary by James Marsh, never read The Little Prince. The sad story of Terrace's irresponsible treatment of Nim, the chimp he tamed – or more strictly, whose upbringing in a human family he organised – is the guiding thread of this revealing film, which raises important issues about the distinction between humans and animals, about our attitudes toward animals, and about scientific objectivity (or the lack thereof) in behavioural research.
Nim was born in a primate research centre in Norman, Oklahoma. His mother,...
"Men have forgotten this truth," said the fox. "But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."
– Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
Perhaps Herbert Terrace, professor of psychology at Columbia University, and director of the experiment that is the subject of Project Nim, a new documentary by James Marsh, never read The Little Prince. The sad story of Terrace's irresponsible treatment of Nim, the chimp he tamed – or more strictly, whose upbringing in a human family he organised – is the guiding thread of this revealing film, which raises important issues about the distinction between humans and animals, about our attitudes toward animals, and about scientific objectivity (or the lack thereof) in behavioural research.
Nim was born in a primate research centre in Norman, Oklahoma. His mother,...
- 8/27/2011
- by Peter Singer
- The Guardian - Film News
Two films on release in the UK later this week, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and the documentary Project Nim, demonstrate that fact is stranger – and sadder – than fiction
Project Nim in pictures
Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which goes on general release in the UK from Thursday, is a prequel to the original film. Or perhaps it's a prequel to the prequel? At the film's climax there was clearly still more "evolution is revolution" to come from 20th Century Fox's simian uprising franchise.
The fictional life story of the chimp Caesar, played by Andy Serkis, is similar to the real-life story of a chimp called Nim who was born at the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates in Tuxedo, New York, raised by a human family and learned to communicate through sign language.
The fictional Caesar undergoes genetic modification and develops spoken language,...
Project Nim in pictures
Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which goes on general release in the UK from Thursday, is a prequel to the original film. Or perhaps it's a prequel to the prequel? At the film's climax there was clearly still more "evolution is revolution" to come from 20th Century Fox's simian uprising franchise.
The fictional life story of the chimp Caesar, played by Andy Serkis, is similar to the real-life story of a chimp called Nim who was born at the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates in Tuxedo, New York, raised by a human family and learned to communicate through sign language.
The fictional Caesar undergoes genetic modification and develops spoken language,...
- 8/9/2011
- by Carole Jahme
- The Guardian - Film News
Time magazine has released their annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. The site describes the list as "artists and activists, reformers and researchers, heads of state and captains of industry. Their ideas spark dialogue and dissent and sometimes even revolution. Welcome to this year's Time 100."
Some of the inclusions might surprise you - such as teen pop star Justin Bieber, "Glee" star and Golden Globe winner Chris Colfer, comedian Amy Poehler and "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner.
Here is the complete list:
Time 100
* Wael Ghonim
* Joseph Stiglitz
* Reed Hastings
* Amy Poehler
* Geoffrey Canada
* Mark Zuckerberg
* Peter Vesterbacka
* Angela Merkel
* Julian Assange
* Ron Bruder
* Lamido Sanusi
* Colin Firth
* Amy Chua
* Joe Biden
* Jennifer Egan
* Kim Clijsters
* Ahmed Shuja Pasha
* Aung San Suu Kyi
* Cory Booker
* Gabrielle Giffords
* Katsunobu Sakurai
* Michelle Obama
* Paul Ryan
* Ai Weiwei
* Rob Bell
* Fathi Terbil
* Dilma Rousseff
* Tom Ford
* Liang Guanglie
* Sue Savage...
Some of the inclusions might surprise you - such as teen pop star Justin Bieber, "Glee" star and Golden Globe winner Chris Colfer, comedian Amy Poehler and "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner.
Here is the complete list:
Time 100
* Wael Ghonim
* Joseph Stiglitz
* Reed Hastings
* Amy Poehler
* Geoffrey Canada
* Mark Zuckerberg
* Peter Vesterbacka
* Angela Merkel
* Julian Assange
* Ron Bruder
* Lamido Sanusi
* Colin Firth
* Amy Chua
* Joe Biden
* Jennifer Egan
* Kim Clijsters
* Ahmed Shuja Pasha
* Aung San Suu Kyi
* Cory Booker
* Gabrielle Giffords
* Katsunobu Sakurai
* Michelle Obama
* Paul Ryan
* Ai Weiwei
* Rob Bell
* Fathi Terbil
* Dilma Rousseff
* Tom Ford
* Liang Guanglie
* Sue Savage...
- 4/21/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
"Who should be the bunny?" Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh asks two half-sister bonobos, superstar apes in the world of science. The bonobos have achieved that status because researchers say they possess an unusually high comprehension of the English language. Apparently the apes are also familiar with the concept of humiliation—they answer Dr. Savage-Rumbaugh's question by pointing to Anderson Cooper. Anderson Cooper should be the bunny.
- 11/18/2010
- by Ray Rahman
- Mediaite - TV
Filed under: TV Replay
On today's 'Oprah' (weekdays, syndicated), correspondent Lisa Ling met Kanzi, a 29-year-old ape who has lived with humans for his entire life. Kanzi is a Bonobo -- an endangered ape that can only be found in the Congo. Amazingly, Kanzi can talk with people. He can understand human speech and form sentences of his own. Incredible. And not only does Lisa speak with Kanzi, but he also hits on her! Yikes.
First, Ling meets Kanzi and his human trainer, Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh. Dr. Sue taught Kanzi to speak using "lexigrams," which are symbols on a computer. Kanzi presses the buttons to form full thoughts. For example, if he was hungry for pizza, he would combine the symbols for "cheese," "tomato," and "bread."
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On today's 'Oprah' (weekdays, syndicated), correspondent Lisa Ling met Kanzi, a 29-year-old ape who has lived with humans for his entire life. Kanzi is a Bonobo -- an endangered ape that can only be found in the Congo. Amazingly, Kanzi can talk with people. He can understand human speech and form sentences of his own. Incredible. And not only does Lisa speak with Kanzi, but he also hits on her! Yikes.
First, Ling meets Kanzi and his human trainer, Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh. Dr. Sue taught Kanzi to speak using "lexigrams," which are symbols on a computer. Kanzi presses the buttons to form full thoughts. For example, if he was hungry for pizza, he would combine the symbols for "cheese," "tomato," and "bread."
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments...
- 10/5/2010
- by Oliver Miller
- Aol TV.
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