What in the World The ancient origins of kissing
7 snips
Nov 21, 2025 
Victoria Gill, a Science Correspondent, dives deep into the intriguing history of kissing, tracing its roots back over 21 million years to our common ancestor with great apes. She shares fascinating insights on how animals, from primates to other species, engage in mouth-to-mouth contact, highlighting surprising evidence from research. Victoria also explores the evolutionary mystery of kissing’s lack of clear survival benefits, suggesting it may stem from grooming behaviors and serve various roles, from romantic to platonic bonding.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
A Teen Basement First Kiss
- A narrated teenage basement moment illustrates a typical awkward first kiss ritual among humans.
- The scene connects everyday human experience to the broader question of kissing's origins.
Kissing Is Deeply Ancient
- Kissing likely dates back about 21 million years to our last common ancestor with great apes.
- Researchers inferred this by mapping oral-to-oral contact across primates and tracing evolutionary relationships.
A Scientific Definition Of Kissing
- The study uses a strict biological definition: oral-to-oral contact with lip or mouth movement and no food transfer.
- That definition allowed comparisons across species from literature and online videos to identify true mouth-to-mouth kissing.