The first human kiss originated 21 million years ago, study finds
Humanity’s first kiss dates back 21 million years
- A study, led by the University of Oxford, suggests that Homo sapiens and Neanderthals may have kissed.
- Researchers reconstructed the evolutionary history of kissing, finding it to be an ancient trait that evolved between 21 and 16 million years ago.
- The study, published in the journal Evolution and Human Behaviour, indicates that kissing is still observed in most large apes, including chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans.
- Kissing was defined as non-aggressive, mouth-to-mouth contact without food transfer, and its evolution was mapped across the primate family tree using a complex model.
- While the research helps explain how kissing evolved, it does not address the specific mechanisms or functions behind why animals engage in the behaviour.