5h/ Wednesday
Researchers from the University of Oxford have found that kissing, defined as non-aggressive mouth-to-mouth contact without food transfer, dates back between 21.5 million and 16.9 million years ago and likely originated among distant ape ancestors. The study, published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, examined kissing behaviors among various primates including chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, and gorillas, and hypothesized that kissing evolved from grooming or nursing practices. Neanderthals, who lived long before contemporary humans, are also believed to have engaged in kissing, supported by evidence of shared oral microbiomes and interbreeding with Homo sapiens.