Interesting example of a collective thought process that works like an individual one.
Animal minds
More chimps who could teach us all a lesson in caring and sharing …
The fact is, if you pay attention to any animals long enough they will sometimes act in ways you don’t expect.
Rats are not only people too, but they’re nicer people …
One wonders what the judgment will be on the many dumpster rats who didn’t show empathy when last noticed? Are they morally culpable?
Intelligence studies too focused on apes, ravens are smart in the same ways
Why are chimpanzees supposed to be so intelligent when species of birds often rival them in cognitive ability?
The secret to good science writing today is never to ask the obvious questions …
If chimp handwaving is the origin of language, why didn’t hand-waving baby chimps go on to learn one? Why do human infants learn a language even if they are born without hands?
Surprise, surprise: Children like to work together but chimps don’t
Compare this with recent claims that orangutans have culture. The reason orangutans don‘t have culture is precisely stuff like this.
Orangutans have culture too, it is claimed
There is probably about as much difference between the behaviour of urban and rural squirrels, that offspring learn from their dams, but you wouldn’t get away with calling it culture.
Some life forms can be scared to death
Even if they are not at risk.
Animal minds: Do wolves need to be smart? – a computer model
The modellers seem to overlook the fact that intelligence is mostly required for the pack’s day-to-day life together.
Almost infinite bacterial conversations affect climate change?
“I think it’s amazing that there are a near-infinite number of these conversations going on in the ocean right now, and they are affecting Earth’s carbon cycle.”
Nazca boobies studied to help explain child abuse
Because the attacks by unrelated adults are similar to the sibling attacks, there may be a “maladaptive side effect” of something that makes evolutionary sense …
Humans lost sixth sense? Some animals kept it?
People experience the world through five senses but sharks, paddlefishes and certain other aquatic vertebrates have a sixth sense.
The amoeba is one cell of a guy – especially when a bunch of them get together
(It could get testy if they needed a Parliament … )
From the Animals ‘r just like us desk: Fish uses tools?
Smashing something against a rock is enterprising, but does not constitute using a tool.
Lizard brain debunked: Some lizards are as smart as some birds, but we have a hard time finding out because …
What if it turns out that some lizards are curious and prefer solving problems for a reward to sitting motionless in a terrarium until someone tosses a cricket in?