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V41
"Koko the gorilla held conversations in sign language."
Weak or false science
They make claims about the body or nutrition that the evidence does not support. When they fall, they take the speaker's credibility with them.
Why it is weak
Koko learned many signs, but the claim that she used a language, with grammar and new sentences, does not hold up: the interpretation depended heavily on her trainers.
The argument also suggests that animals matter for resembling us in language, which leaves out almost all exploited animals.
How to say it better
Animal communication is rich, and pain can be measured without words, through facial expressions and behavior. You don't have to speak to suffer, just like a baby or a person who has lost speech.