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Renowned chimpanzee Ai passes away
Kyoto University's Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior announced that Ai, a female chimpanzee celebrated for her advanced cognitive abilities, died on January 9 at the age of 49. The cause was attributed to old age and organ failure, with staff present during her final moments.
Early life and research contributions
Born in West Africa, Ai was brought to the Japanese institute in 1977, where she became the focal point of the Ai Project, a long-term study exploring chimpanzee intelligence. Researchers provided her with a custom keyboard connected to a computer when she was just 18 months old, using the setup to examine her memory and learning processes.
Breakthrough findings
By the age of five, Ai had demonstrated remarkable skills, including the ability to identify numbers from one to six and recognize the color, quantity, and type of 300 different objects. These findings were documented in a 1985 paper by primatologist Tetsuro Matsuzawa, who led the project.
Life beyond experiments
Outside of cognitive tests, Ai enjoyed creative activities like drawing and painting. Unlike many primates, she engaged in these tasks without requiring food incentives, often using marker pens to create abstract designs on paper. Japanese media also reported an incident where Ai and another chimpanzee escaped their enclosure by using a key to unlock their cage.
Legacy and family
In 2000, Ai gave birth to a son, Ayumu, who later gained recognition for his exceptional memory. To mark the 40th anniversary of the Ai Project in 2017, a scarf featuring one of Ai's paintings was presented to renowned primatologist Dame Jane Goodall, honoring her contributions to science.
"Ai's work reshaped our understanding of primate cognition and left an enduring impact on the field," the center stated in its announcement.
