Researcher: Monkey Chatter Precursor to Human Speech

Specifically in the wild gelada

Are monkeys talking behind our backs? That creepy "Planet of the Apes" sensation struck University of Michigan researcher Thore Bergman when he heard the lip-smacking sounds of wild geladas, a baboon-like primate found in the Ethiopian highlands.

Bergman analyzed the sounds, and suggests they may represent an evolutionary link between primate communication and human speech. His report is published in the journal Current Biology.