西班牙研究人员通过观察黑猩猩的行为，发现这一发现可能解释了人类长期以来对水晶的吸引力。由Donostia国际物理中心的胡安·曼努埃尔·加西亚-鲁伊斯教授领导的研究表明，黑猩猩能够在混合的20块圆形鹅卵石中快速识别出石英水晶，这表明对这类物质的偏好可能具有深层的进化基础[1]。该研究已发表于《心理学前沿》[1]。
考古学证据支持这一进化假说。研究人员在含有智人遗骸的遗址中发现了水晶，表明早期人类至少在78万年前就已有意识地收集这些不寻常的石头[1]。进一步的观察显示，黑猩猩表现出对水晶透明性的极度好奇，会将其举至眼睛水平进行仔细观察，并对这些物质的透明度和几何形状表现出特殊偏好[1]。科学家认为，人类和黑猩猩在600万到700万年前从共同祖先分离[1]，这意味着对水晶的吸引力可能源于至少那样久远的进化根源。
Spanish researchers have discovered that chimpanzees possess an innate ability to identify and become attracted to crystals, suggesting that humanity's long-standing fascination with these stones may have evolutionary roots dating back millions of years.[1] Archaeologists have found crystals at sites containing remains of early humans, indicating that our species deliberately collected these unusual stones as far back as 780,000 years ago.[1]
Led by Professor Juan Manuel García-Ruiz of Spain's Donostia International Physics Center, the study—published in Frontiers in Psychology—demonstrates that chimpanzees can rapidly identify quartz crystals when presented among ordinary rounded pebbles.[1] In experiments, the primates were able to select quartz crystals from a mixture of 20 round stones in mere seconds, and they displayed extreme curiosity about the crystals' transparency by holding them up to eye level and examining them closely.[1] The research team identified crystal transparency and geometric shape as the features that make these stones particularly appealing to the animals.[1]
The findings suggest that human attraction to crystals may originate from a deep evolutionary lineage shared with other primates.[1] Humans and chimpanzees diverged from a common ancestor between 6 and 7 million years ago, according to the research.[1]