NOVA scienceNOW | Cosmic Perspective | How Smart Are Animals?

[xmodmodifier]

We should try teaching chimpanzees how to make fire... then see how they progress from there.

[b4skin]

As an agnostic playing the bible card, what if heaven is the futuristic perspective of space travel (we have to figure this stuff out before transporting 'out there') and the earth's consumption by the sun supernova as hell? just absurd speculation by the fable-minded:)

[b4skin]

@cognitiveconsonance....why do you hate plants so much? and if we could create machines that could eat each other, shit out used parts for other machines...recycle heaven!

[thenengsta]

Youtubers, brain size doesn't have a strong correlation with intelligence, for example, squirrels have small brains, but in many aspects are considered smarter than say a cow, and humans dont have the biggest brains but we are smarter than every other animal (or so we believe.)

[shanebrain2009]

I love his Cosmic Perspective bit that he always does :)

[buktomsin]

How can there even be a "Dislike"? WTF that must be from a lesser species the neanderthal.

[mmmodafoca]

Ah Dr. Tyson DeGrasse does it again! He is the new Karl Sagan. I just can't get enough of this dudes insight. :)

[buktomsin]

@mmmodafoca Agreed!:D

[culwin]

Intelligence is a vague term, but I think humans are getting "smarter" than every previous generation of humans.

[bostero1]

I'm going to spark up a dobbie and watch this, you know - get some perspective...

[krstcmjns]

I don't care what this guy is talking about--I wouldn't want to bump into him in a dark ally :((

[asseeninYOURDREAMS]

too much weed.....

[CognitiveConsonance]

I think that this idea is a powerful argument for vegetarianism or veganism (though there are of course equally strong counterarguments).

What if these hypothetical superior life forms decided that we were most valuable as food?

[fcdog555]

@CognitiveConsonance that was the poorest argument for vegetarianism I have ever heard

[MsWanderer1]

It's not ignorance that would make humans appear inferior; it's their stupidity!

[zebruh]

I love this. I remember Neil presenting this idea during one of his conferences. Absolutely fascinating.

[Coquipirate]

What if aliens are blind, deaf, and communicate through touch or smell like ants? Thier nerves would be specially designed for communicating that way and we'd never understand each other.

[vanfunfun]

@Coquipirate Wow, that's never been thought of! *points to the general direction of several science fiction novels*

[1RadicalOne]

I do not think such a species would be able to develop space travel; a blind species would never imagine the nature of the universe.

[Coquipirate]

@1RadicalOne maybe, but then again, surviving space may be more of a matter of survival than desire in some part of the universe. Who knows how many microbes are thrust into space by asteroids and end up traveling from planet to planet? They would evolve accordingly, maybe become intellegent.

[1RadicalOne]

But that resultant evolved species would be best adapted for its environment. And in most cases, that involves sight.

More, being transported as a microbe would be tantamount to a "reset", since a microbe has no nerves specially designed for physical/olfactory communication.

[Z3igster]

@Coquipirate Like in the novel Ender's Game?

[zarkoff45]

What if humanity is just suffering from an extreme case of the Dunning–Kruger effect and our dogs and cats are secretly traveling between the stars?

[Neueregel]

@zarkoff45 Dogs and cats have 30 or 50 less Brain mass to work with. But we almost surely have Dunning–Kruger compared to other alien civilisations (if they exist)