A recent study at the Yerkes Research Center and the University of Texas has confirmed that captive chimpanzees have the ability to sustain multiple-tradition cultures that many researchers believe wild chimpanzees exhibit.

This means that captive chimps have the ability to learn cultures they've observed. To some this revelation provides further evidence that chimpanzees and humans have a common ancestor that has a level of cultural complexity.

In the study, the researchers taught several high-ranking members of different chimpanzee communities how to use tools in a certain way. It was then observed that those tool techniques were then eventually learned by other members of the community.

The captive chimps were able to develop "traditions" (in this case, certain ways to use tools) within their community. Eventually, it was also observed that 10 traditions spread throughout the chimpanzee groups, with traditions passing from group to group. On of the researchers Dr. Frans de Waal explains:

This study nicely summarizes our collaborative work of the last five years, showing we can artificially introduce cultures in chimpanzees, which supports the idea cultural variation observed in the wild is learned. ...We are the first to show cultures potentially can jump from group to group if you offer chimpanzees the opportunity to watch other groups. It’s a bit like Westerners learning to eat with chopsticks.

Does this mean that chimps can eventually learn to use chopsticks? Well, if you manage to teach one of the more popular chimps how to do it first, it might become a chimp fad, and others will do it just to be "cool." We kind of like that idea.