CategoryAnimal mind
Was the Legendary Jane Goodall (1934–2025) the End of an Era?
Perhaps. A more realistic appraisal of the reality of human uniqueness is needed if we hope to prevent the extinction of chimpanzees in the wild
Baboons as the New Humans: The Disney Effect at work
As a recent review in Science shows, the Disney Effect allows even research scientists to ignore the differences between animal minds and the human mind
Slime Mold: Memory and Learning Without Neurons
Can memories be stored outside the brain? Once we have separated memory and learning from neurons — do the traditional assumptions about them still really apply?
Do Fungi Demonstrate a Form of Intelligence? What Does That Mean?
Yes, the natural world is full of intelligence and we are only scratching the surface of it. But…
When schools of fish lose their memories…
They lost them because the older fish got fished out
Animals Taught Us Culture Though They Don’t Have It Themselves?
Researchers tie themselves into some odd knots trying to demonstrate that humans are just like other life forms
Do Humans and Chimpanzees Differ by Only 1 Percent?
Of course not, but now that a more likely genetics figure has been published, some researchers are having a surprisingly hard time accepting it
Science Writer: The Self Is Part of a Conscious Universe
Annaka Harris seems to be fleeing eliminative materialism — the snake that eats its own tail
Fish Can Recognize Individual Humans — But What Does That Imply?
Wild fish told the divers apart by their diving gear when they could gain a food reward for doing so
How Two Dogs May Have Foiled a Kidnapping
Did these two dogs just follow their programming? Or do they really care? How do they come to care?
Scientists Dare To Hint That the Mind Can’t Just Be the Brain
They start with astonishing facts about the brains of caterpillars and worms and end up discussing human near-death experiences
Reptilian Renaissance: How Did Reptiles Develop Intelligence?
Scientists used to think reptiles were dumb but then they looked more closely
At Quanta: High Bird Intelligence Developed on a Different Path
High intelligence developing on different paths is consistent with convergent evolution. It’s also consistent with design in nature
How Fruit Flies, Bees, and Squirrels Beat Artificial Intelligence
AI researchers assume they are on the path to intelligence, yet intelligence itself remains a mystery and many animals do better than current AI
If the Tiniest Brain Is Far From Simple, How Did It Originate?
Eric Cassell’s account of the brain of the nematode worm C. elegans sparks a number of interesting questions
Even the Tiniest Brain in Nature Is Not Simple
Researchers have found that the worm with smallest known brain shows some surprisingly complex behaviors
Defining an Ape Theory of Mind Into Existence
We are told that “recognizing when someone else lacks information” has been thought to be a distinctly human trait. Really?
Science Writing: Cat Intelligence Compared With Baby Intelligence
Cat intelligence is of a rather different kind from dog intelligence