John Tierney looks at research indicating that male chimpanzees use “tools” (crackling leaves) to show females that they are ready for sex. He suggests that this is the chimp equivalent of “trying to attract women by driving around with a car thumping out 120-decibel music. But until researchers are able to find a woman who admits to being anything other than annoyed by guys in boom cars, these human tools must be considered evolutionary dead ends.”
Search
Chimp Sex “Tools”
John Tierney looks at research indicating that male chimpanzees use "tools" (crackling leaves) to show females that they are ready for sex.
Monthly Issue
April 2026
In this monthly issue, we examine how our understanding of energy — and how we source and use it — is evolving.
1 video
11 articles