Scientists Pinpoint Origin of Kissing to 20 Million Years Ago, Tracing it โBack โto Primates
OXFORD,โ UK – โค A new study from the University of Oxford suggests โthat the act of kissing – defined as non-aggressive, non-food-transferring โคmouth-to-mouth contact – originated approximately 21.5 toโ 16.9 million years ago among primates. The research, published recently, utilizes evolutionary modeling โขto pinpoint the timeframe for the emergence of this behaviour, challenging the notion that kissing is uniquely human.
Lead author Matilda Brindle,from the Department of Biology at the University of Oxford,explained the methodology: “Based on these two โpremises,we โคemployed modeling that allows us โคtoโข simulate different evolutionary scenarios. Applying the modeling millions of โคtimes, we โฃcame to the โคconclusion that the first kiss occurred 21.5 to 16.9 million yearsโข ago.”
The study doesn’t attemptโค to identify who delivered the first โคkiss, but rather establishes when the behavior likely began. โResearchers โacknowledge theโ function of kissing remains open to debate. Some theories suggestโ it evolved as a way toโ assess partner quality, while others proposeโฃ it functions as foreplay, increasing sexual excitement and the likelihood of fertilization.
Brindle notes, “Some โฃpeople suggest โthat sexual kissing is a way โof establishing the quality and suitability of a partner.But the kiss could also be โคlike foreplay, โincreasing sexual excitement and, consequently, the chances of fertilization.”
The research also suggests kissing wasn’t โsolely reserved for romantic encounters. Scientistsโข beleive mouth-to-mouth contact between friends and family members may have served toโค strengthen socialโค bondsโ and navigate complex relationships.
Intriguingly, the study proposes that Neanderthals likely engaged in kissingโค as well,โ citing shared โmicrobes in their mouths asโฃ evidence ofโข saliva exchange. “They probably kissed each other on the mouth,” brindle stated, adding that this aligns with existing evidence of interbreedingโข between โฃhumans and Neanderthals, as evidenced by Neanderthal DNA presentโค in modern human populations. โ”But it certainlyโ addsโ a hint of romanticism to the relationship betweenโฃ humans and Neanderthals.”
Jake Brooker, a great apeโ specialist at Durham University in theโค United Kingdom, who was notโข involved in the study, supports the findings. He points out โthat kissing โฃbehavior is observed in a โvariety of monkey species, suggesting an โeven โคearlier origin in our shared evolutionary past. “customs โขthat we tendโ toโ think of โฃas exclusive to humans, like kissing on the mouth, are not โjust ours,” Brooker told The Guardian.โ “Just look at other animals more โclosely.”