Archaeologists have found crystals at several sites with Homo remains, raising the question of why early human relatives collected them as far back as 780,000 years ago, according to ScienceDaily.
A new study published in Frontiers in Psychology explored that question by testing how enculturated chimpanzees respond to crystals. Lead author Prof. Juan Manuel García-Ruiz said the animals could distinguish crystals from other stones and showed a strong, seemingly natural attraction to them.
In one experiment at the Rainfer Foundation, researchers placed a crystal beside a similar-sized ordinary rock. The chimpanzees noticed both objects at first, but quickly focused on the crystal, examined it closely, and in one case carried it away.
In another test, the chimpanzees were able to pick out small quartz crystals from a pile of pebbles within seconds, even when other crystal types such as pyrite and calcite were added. The researchers said the animals appeared especially interested in the crystals’ transparency and shape, which may help explain why early humans were drawn to them too.
