One gene from monkeys? I thought it was orangutans. And their memory . . . ? Never heard that, I'll have to look into it.

I will say this about our lil' furry relatives, there's a certain species of orangutan that has the uncanny ability to "read thoughts"--not in some sort of supernatural/esp way, but the way people can read one another through facial expressions, behavors, knowledge, etc. It's a curious aspect of the mind that isn't even developed fully in humans until one is about eight years old. Ergo, our furry, poo flingin' cousins are technically more advanced (in terms of sentience) than our children.