Lyn Miles facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
H. Lynn Miles
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| Born | August 5, 1944 |
| Education | Ph.D. in anthropology, University of Connecticut (1978) |
| Occupation | Anthropologist |
H. Lyn Miles (born August 5, 1944) is an American anthropologist. An anthropologist studies humans, their societies, and cultures. Dr. Miles is also a strong supporter of animal rights.
She is famous for an experiment in the 1970s. In this experiment, she taught a baby orangutan named Chantek sign language. She taught Chantek in a special way, like how human babies learn language. She made sure Chantek had a full human-like experience.
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About Dr. H. Lyn Miles
Dr. Miles earned her PhD in anthropology in 1978. She got her degree from the University of Connecticut.
Since 1993, she has lived in Atlanta, Georgia. This allowed her to visit Chantek often. Chantek had been moved to the Yerkes National Primate Research Center.
Dr. Miles's Work with Orangutans
Dr. Miles set up a special home for Chantek. It was a trailer home on the Chattanooga university campus. Chantek lived there and had a very human-like experience.
Dr. Miles is a professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She teaches courses about physical anthropology and ape language. She also teaches about how language works in different cultures.
She is a respected member of the American Anthropological Association. She also helps edit a science journal called Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Advocacy for Apes
Dr. Miles believes that great apes who have been raised like humans should not be kept as test animals. She thinks they should be seen as true "orang utans." This name means "persons of the forest."
She hopes these apes will eventually be seen as legal persons under the law. This would give them more rights. Dr. Miles is also a very strong supporter of protecting orangutans in the wild.
Media Coverage of Her Work
Dr. Miles and her work have been featured in several documentaries. These films helped share her important research with many people.
- 2014 The Ape Who Went to College, part of My Wild Affair, shown on Animal Planet
- 2000 They Call Him Chantek, a New York Festivals Finalist, also on Animal Planet
- Signs of the Apes, Songs of the Whales, shown on PBS NOVA
