Great Apes Share Human-Like Cognitive Mechanisms in Tracking Events

**A new study** published in PLOS Biology by Vanessa Wilson and colleagues explores the cognitive similarities between *great apes* and *humans* by observing how both species track events visually. When humans watch events like a cat chasing a mouse, they alternate looking at the cat (agent) and the mouse (patient), forming an agent-patient relationship. This is a key cognitive function linked to the evolution of human language. Researchers showed 84 video clips to 14 humans, five chimpanzees, two gorillas, and two orangutans, and tracked their eye movements. Similarly, they tested 29 six-month-old infants. **Findings reveal** that both apes and adult humans focus primarily on the agents and patients within these clips, with apes also showing interest in the background, unlike adult humans who focus directly on the key players. Intriguingly, infants did not demonstrate this pattern, focusing more on the background. This suggests that the cognitive ability to order events into agent-patient relationships evolved before language and is shared with great apes. These cognitive processes likely form a spectrum across species, hinting at evolutionary links in language development. The study underscores the need for further research to understand why, despite shared cognitive abilities, apes do not communicate like humans.