Why monkeys will never beat humans in a dance off

A monkey has a drink from a can at an ancient temple in Lopburi province, some 150 kms north of Bangkok on November 29, 2009 during the annual 'monkey buffet'. (Getty Images)

While, primates of all species can apparently enjoy fizzy pop (see above), it turns out that picking up on the beat in music is a uniquely human trait.

Scientists at the University of Amsterdam and the National Autonomous University of Mexico have discovered this by playing music to two rhesus monkeys (a breed you may be familiar with, thanks to Ikea Monkey) and then studying their brain signals via electrodes.

If you're concerned about the cruelty of subjecting monkeys to a team of scientists' no doubt terrible taste in music, fear not; according to the researchers "the animals were seated comfortably in a monkey chair where they could freely move their hands and feet." No, we don't know what a monkey chair is either.