India, May 20 -- What makes us human? It's a question that has fascinated scientists and philosophers for centuries. Activities such as tapping our fingers to create a rhythm to using medicine to heal ourselves are often considered uniquely human capabilities.

Now, a pair of new studies show that some of our close living animal relatives share human behaviours with us. They can use plants to heal wounds and tap along to music. These discoveries indicate that some behaviours we consider uniquely human might have deep evolutionary roots which we share with our primate relatives.

In one study by researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour and the University of Zurich, published in Scientific Reports on May 2, a male Sumatra...