In January 1976 news broke of a phenomenon. Pictures showed an upright bald ape called Oliver, who appeared to be a cross between a human and a chimpanzee; What scientists refer to as a humanzee.
Oliver’s photographs shocked the world, and in the media frenzy that followed he became an international celebrity. In Japan his human-like behavior earned him cult status. In New York some journalists described him as the missing link. Others dubbed him Bigfoot. Oliver gradually faded from the spotlight and eventually disappeared.
Now 30 years later, he has been found still alive. And with the latest DNA profiling, we can finally solve the mystery of the humanzee.
I think they should see if chimp/bonobo and human gametes can cross (in vitro, of course, and now they have artificial wombs, as well). It would be AWESOME if humans could be taken down a peg by showing them that, yes, humans are chimps/bonobos all belong to one species! (assuming the cross-breeding works, that is. And it might, if an earlier experiment from the 1920s wasn’t mistaken/spread as a propagandistic USSR lie – crossed gametes did fertilize and divided over a dozen times before the zygote was destroyed.)
Interesting film. Esp. now because planet of the apes movie part 2 just came out. Oliver/Cesar raise the same ethical questions. I find it hard to believe that we don’t have a definitive answer on the hybrid question. Either it is possible or it is not. That should be a question that doesn’t require an experiment to answer. Assuming we’ve learned anything about genetics thus far. so which is it?
I hope they never conduct such an experiment. Please people don’t let them cross a human and a chimpanzee. They would be messing up the natural order of the things. That liger was already going a bit too far. Now about that chimp. Most people who are around chimps marvel at how human they can behave. This chimp one must remember was trained from birth by a skilled trainer. Chimps are amazing creatures especially when they are trained. And that’s exactly what you are seeing. A highly trained chimp. not a humanzee as is erroneously is supposed.
could this be a malformed human who is genetically mutated like the lion boy who grew 2 inch fur all over his body.
Its a chimp..hes deformed….nothing more nothing less. What is wrong with you people?!?!
cool documentary, it just bugs me how these people keep saying ” o he is something more then JUST an animal, there is something in him” are humans so blind to not see that there is something in ALL animals…. including us…. it bothers me how science is regarding humans as the only thing with a soul. time to wake up and see that everything has a soul, not just us and maybe oliver.
you are so wise! you win! it pisses me off when someone said animals don’t have souls. i’ve grown up with my cat for 20 years, i know when she is angry, sleepy, loving, hungry. she is my lady and i love her lol
What is a soul? How would someone without a soul differ from someone with one? Surely, it is just the brain. When you have an anesthetic, sleep or die then you brain switches off consciousness and then where is your soul?
i was puzzled with the end of the story. Scientist should continue their researches till they find out answers to this phenomena. It’s not an ordinary one and it could be a real evidence in evolution
I don’t have a problem with having a Human-Chimp hybrid. Howver I don’t like when they GM our food… but when one is allowed and the other isn’t, it’s only a matter of time before the other is also allowed. anyway cant wait to watch this later on
I’m not sure if they should make a human-chimp hybrid… I feel like it would create sooo many moral grey areas.
I think they should – that way the moral grey area can extend over all the apes who are currently imprisoned in animal testing, being used as ‘tools’ for science while experiencing unimaginable torture.
When they are torturing animals for science and killing them for food after lifetimes of suffering, you worry about the morality of chimp-human hybrid? Dude, there are way bigger things in the world than that. Wake up.
found the vegan!
Really, you think?
am. a. zing.
I also thought it was fascinating, good video.
It all worked just fine for me… fascinating video.
The end is missing, part three doesn’t work.