This blog post explores the genetic makeup, social intelligence, and evolutionary potential of chimpanzees from scientific and societal perspectives, drawing inspiration from the imagination of the film Planet of the Apes.
The film ‘Planet of the Apes’ is a work that has been consistently remade since its 1963 origin, based on the novel by French author Pierre Boulle. The fact that a series based on one source material has continued for over 50 years through films and dramas is proof that the content this film addresses still sparks interest in people, even as time passes. When the film first premiered, audiences were shocked by the premise that apes possessed a superior thought system to humans and ruled the world. This serves as a warning to humans, long considered the rulers of all creatures, that no species on Earth can arbitrarily dominate other life forms.
In the new version of ‘Planet of the Apes (2001)’ directed by Tim Burton, a chimpanzee trained for space exploration appears. This chimpanzee serves as a pilot sent in place of humans to explore dangerous zones. When the chimpanzee, dispatched to investigate powerful magnetic storms surrounding the spacecraft, is swept away by the storm and goes missing, the protagonist pursues it to rescue him. However, the protagonist also gets caught in the magnetic storm, causing him to time travel and crash-land on a distant future planet ruled by apes. Teammates who crash-landed on the planet in the past to find the protagonist are wiped out by evolved apes. It is later revealed these evolved apes are descendants of chimpanzees trained by humans. This raises a question for the audience: Could chimpanzees, given genetic manipulation and training to achieve high intelligence, evolve to dominate humans?
I believe it is unlikely that chimpanzees or other animals will evolve to surpass humans. Some might argue that, as depicted in the film, if given thousands of years of evolution, chimpanzees could indeed become advanced beings comparable to humans. They might cite as evidence that chimpanzees are the closest animal to humans, sharing over 95% of their genes with humans, and in the case of chimpanzees specifically, over 98%. This fact has sparked astonishment and fascination among many scientists. It’s because a mere few percentage points of difference caused the divergent evolution of humans and other animals. Previously, scientists assumed that the more advanced the organism, the more complex its genetic structure would be. However, research findings since the Genome Project overturned this notion. Even human genes showed little significant difference compared to those of organisms like fruit flies.
However, examining the research reveals a clear reason why chimpanzees cannot genetically surpass humans. While some chimpanzee genes are 100% identical to humans, many others are less developed than those found in mice or monkeys. In other words, chimpanzees share a highly similar overall DNA structure with humans, but it is not identical. Furthermore, the differences between humans and chimpanzees stem not only from this genetic homology but also from the structure and characteristics of the factors regulating gene function. Therefore, even if DNA structures are similar, the likelihood of chimpanzees or other animals becoming like humans is low. If genetic manipulation were used to create a being almost identical to humans from a chimpanzee, it would be more appropriate to consider that being a human rather than a chimpanzee.
Research supporting this claim from a genetic perspective can be found in a study by Professor Gregory Worley’s team at Duke University in the United States. Professor Worley’s team studied a gene present in both humans and chimpanzees that produces a substance called ‘protylorphin’. This substance is the precursor to endorphins, morphine-like substances associated with learning, pain perception, and social bonding. The team examined chromosomes from 74 humans and 32 individuals from seven other primate species, including chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. They found significant differences in this gene. Humans possess 14 copies of this gene, while primates possess only one. Furthermore, humans possess five mutations in this gene not found in other primates, and their ability to produce protein was 20% higher. Professor Warley concluded, “After humans and chimpanzees diverged from a common ancestor 5 to 7 million years ago, changes in this gene likely played a crucial role in human evolution.”
Sociologically speaking, chimpanzees cannot become humans. Of course, societies exist in the animal world. Even ants and bees distribute roles to build vast kingdoms. However, what distinguishes human society from animal societies is the rich emotional sharing and highly sophisticated information exchange among its members. This human social capability can be defined as ‘social intelligence’. It is not merely high IQ, but rather social intelligence vastly superior to other animals that I believe forms the foundation of modern human society. The fact that humans are rich in endorphins also serves as evidence that elements of social intelligence, such as learning, pain perception, and social bonding, are more advanced than in other animals.
Research by American anthropologist Sarah Blaffer Hrdy on social intelligence supports this claim. Hrdy conducted intelligence tests on three-year-old children and fully grown chimpanzees and orangutans. There was little difference in most comprehension tasks, and chimpanzees even outperformed humans in some memory tests. However, in social intelligence, the young children outperformed both chimpanzees and orangutans. While most chimpanzees and orangutans rely solely on the mother for childcare, in most human cultures, the mother handles about half of child-related tasks, with the rest shared by outsiders like family, relatives, friends, neighbors, and professional educators. The relationships between human infants, raised surrounded by many people, and adults can be much weaker than those of other animals that spend all day with their mothers. To resolve this dilemma, infants rapidly develop social intelligence by learning to recognize and adapt to the emotions and desires of others. Huddie concluded that this social intelligence is precisely why human infants became more successful at survival.
Thus, unlike other animals, humans not only possess genetic differences but also exist as social creatures who share emotions and thoughts. Consequently, humans could engage in complex thinking and evolve. If we call this social characteristic of humans an ‘altruistic instinct,’ it can be considered a crucial factor that brought humanity to its current position. Ultimately, unless lifeforms surpassing humans emerge from outer space or robots possessing artificial intelligence appear, it is unlikely that a superior being to humans will emerge within the realm of human civilization. However, this fact does not prove that humans are the most superior beings on Earth. The scene in the movie ‘Planet of the Apes’ where the father of the ape general Ted screams, “Humans will bring about their own destruction. Damn humans!” leaves us with profound food for thought. All living beings form ecosystems by maintaining mutual balance. In a way, humanity—perhaps the most peculiar species on Earth—may be the one disrupting that equilibrium. I believe it is humanity’s duty as a higher being to shed the arrogance of being the ‘lord of all creatures’ and instead manifest a truly human ‘altruistic instinct,’ living as one member among many on this planet.
