NOVA scienceNOW | Cosmic Perspective | How Smart Are Animals?

As an astrophysicist, NOVA scienceNOW host Neil deGrasse Tyson has a unique view of the universe. Hear his Cosmic Perspective on How Smart Are Animals? Watch NOVA scienceNOW on Wednesdays at 9PM ET/PT (please check your local listings).

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Cosmic Perspectice
• Neil deGrasse Tyson
• NOVAscience NOW

[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.

[xmodmodifier]

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

[Z3igster]

@Coquipirate Like in the novel Ender's Game?

[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.)

[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.

[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]

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.

[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.