Theory of mind is the ability or belief that others have mental states different from one’s own. Most humans have this trait; it’s necessary for normal human interactions.
It’s been unclear if humans are the only animal possess theory of mind. New research has suggested that apes do indeed have the ability to understand another individual separate from themselves.
This isn’t to be confused with reading body language simply to come up with an acceptable action, as in the case of Clever Hans, the horse who could do math.
Testing the apes involved eye-tracking software and a scenario watching a human try and discover the location of a hidden object. The experiment is laid out in detail here.
From the article: “it's becoming increasingly difficult to argue that humans are the only species capable of second-guessing another's actions based on presuming their state of knowledge.”
This screams out Planet of the Apes. Though this concept has already been played out in two separate movie runs it could be an interesting concept to play with in a survival/thriller story. Maybe a tropical island setting, where a group of scientist play out a version of Jurassic Park but with endangered species. In this version, the apes would be even smarter.
OR maybe there’s a sort of Jungle Book/Indiana Jones mashup, where a society of apes, led by King Louis, play a role in a treasure hunt.
