Chimps can recognise peers decades later – especially if they got on well

The results suggested the apes spent longer looking at former group mates if their relationship had generally been positive rather than negative. Photograph: Wirestock/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Whether it is a sea of faces at a school reunion or distant family at a wedding, our ability to remember people we met years ago can come in handy. Now it seems our evolutionary cousins have a similar skill.

Researchers have found bonobos and chimpanzees can recall peers they spent time with in the past, even if they have been separated for decades. What is more, this recognition appears to be influenced by whether they got on well with each other – or not.