What does contagious yawning mean in people and other primates? | Ep48

RTI Radio Taiwan International RTI Radio Taiwan International

Humans aren't the only primates that have exhibited contagious yawning. (Photo: Christophe Rascle on Pexels)

Do you yawn when someone else yawns? There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that contagious yawning, the tendency to yawn when you see or hear someone else yawn, is linked to empathy. Research has shown that the sight of an unknown bonobo yawning in a film triggers a yawning response in bonobos watching the film as well.

Formosa Fauna is back this week to entertainingly educate you about animals both in Taiwan and abroad! Spend the next 20 minutes listening to this episode and feeding your noggin with fun facts about the animal kingdom so you can become smarter than all of your friends.

On today's menu for your mind to feast on:
–11-year-old Eurasian otter
–TSMC makes chips, what are they doing saving fish?
–Humans share 98.8% of our DNA with chimpanzees
–You can teach old dogs new tricks

Want to share your own story and have it read on air? Send your story (photos welcome) to tristan@rti.org.tw!

See you every week for Formosa Fauna Fridays!