Humans share common sign language with wild apes, a study has found.

The research revealed that humans are capable of understanding many of the gestures wild chimps and bonobos use to communicate with one another.

The video-based study was carried out by researchers at St Andrews University in Scotland, with volunteers translating ape gestures.

It suggests the last common ancestor humans shared with chimps used similar gestures, and that these may have been a “starting point” for language. […]