there is something very funny about the idea that “give a chimpanzee stuff and see if they like it”

This is the premise behind the "Ignobel prize" – awards for scientific research which at first-glance may appear to be an April Fool's prank, but genuinely advance the cause of scientific research.

    "the extent to which a certain kind of lizard chooses to eat certain kinds of pizza"
    "what a nursing baby experiences when the baby’s mother eats garlic"
    "some real plants imitate the shapes of neighboring artificial plastic plants"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ig_Nobel_Prize

https://improbable.com/ig/winners/