Just in case you were not already convinced, here’s proof:
When taught to use money, a group of capuchin monkeys responded quite rationally to simple incentives; responded irrationally to risky gambles; failed to save; stole when they could; used money for food and, on occasion, sex. In other words, they behaved a good bit like the creature that most of Chen’s more traditional colleagues study: Homo sapiens.
All I have to say is “Ook!”
Update:
We are now trying to turn monkeys into humans:
Scientists have been warned that their latest experiments may accidentally produce monkeys with brains more human than animal.
What’s next?
Eric S. Raymond has posted a well written entry on his blog about what makes human animals different from other animal species.