Remembering the order of things is really important for people when they talk, plan their day, or learn new stuff.
A recent study in the science journal PLoS One found that this skill seems to be something only humans have.
Let's find out more about why it matters so much.
Why order is so important
Even animals that are really close to us, like bonobos, don't learn the order of things in the same way.
The study adds to our understanding of how human brains work compared to animals and why only humans can do things like speak languages, plan space travel, and use Earth's resources so effectively that we harm other life on our planet.
Researchers have thought before that only humans can remember the order of things, which helps us with our unique cultural abilities.
But they hadn't tested this idea on our closest relatives, the great apes, until now.
How the experiment was conducted
The new experiments show that bonobos, one kind of great ape, have trouble learning the order of things.
In these experiments, both bonobos and humans were asked to press computer screens to learn the order of things, like pressing right if a yellow square comes before a blue square.
Humans learned this quickly, but bonobos had a tough time and forgot what they learned pretty fast.
Why it's important
This research supports the idea that remembering sequences of things is a big part of what makes us humans.
It's a skill that's important for language, planning, and thinking in order, and it seems to be something only we can do really well.
