Creepy Cyber-Monkeys Dwell in the Primate "Uncanny Valley"

Humans typically feel uneasy when they see a very realistic human-looking robot or computer avatar, a phenomenon called the "uncanny valley" response. According to a new study performed with monkeys, that reaction might have an evolutionary basis. Researchers hypothesize that the response stems from almost realistic images that signal HUMAN! to us, but then fail to live up to the initial excitement. The uncanny valley response has been documented in humans since the 1970s, and has been blamed for the unpopularity of some CGI films with realistic characters