A report from scientists at Japan’s Kyoto University, specifically from the Primate Research Institute, revealed that apes (gibbons) were given helium gas, resulting in predictably high-pitched voices.
This was not a prank typically associated with fraternities or a rite of passage for lab assistants, but rather an experiment designed to discover if the renowned gibbons could project their voices as loudly at a pitch higher than normal.
The gibbons demonstrated success, revealing a unique skill akin to that of the finest human sopranos, who achieve their powerful volume by changing the shape of their vocal tract, which includes adjustments to their mouth and tongue.
