SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
On more certitude in this world has been overturned. The infinite monkey theorem holds that a monkey given an infinite amount of time at a keyboard would ultimately type out every possible text, including the complete works of Shakespeare. But two Australian researchers, Jay Falletta and Stephen Woodcock, calculate that if every one of the roughly 200,000 chimpanzees in the world typed one key per second, it take longer than the lifespan of the universe for a primate bard to repeat the words of Shakespeare. In fact, the BBC reports there would be just a 5% chance a chimp would even type the word bananas in their own simian lifetime. In other words, in a finite universe, do not count on an infinite monkey.
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SIMON: But the researchers do not explain how a monkey at a keyboard managed to accompany BJ Leiderman, who writes our theme music, as apparently, no monkey will ever type, if music be the food of love, play on.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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