December 4, 2007
Chimps and Us...Take that , Creationists!
Who said we're so smart. These chimps of the same family were trained to read numbers and understand sequences. The mother started in 1985, but her children are three times as fast to read numbers, even when they appear only briefly. Japanese researchers have pitted them against humans, students in the video below. Notice that the human brain is a lot slower and clumsier at memorizing position of numbers in the sequence. Chimps get it right at only 250 milliseconds exposure. And they are a lot quicker to point out the numbers in the right order. Shucks! Maybe if the students got a Smarties every time they get it right! I think it's all a motivation issue.But why compete? We ought to leave all animals with their own specific genius and glory. I know a dog who can catch and retain 12 Frisbees. And another one that can skateboard. And that includes us. I know an illiterate taxi driver in Montreal that NEVER left the island, yet knows every street in town by name despite the fact that he cannot read the signs.
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3 comments:
Je savais que ça te plairait, Monkey-Boy ! ;-)
Thanks Luc for that reference. I tried unsuccessfully to find out if the chimps can actually count or if they just memorize the sequence. Like, 'one banana', 'two bananas' etc...
Judging from the way I like to clean my cage, I've no doubt in evolution's navel pick.
Evolution is also my favorite excuse for fuzzy brains. Once I could ring the memory bell in style until I got bit by Pavlov's dog. A little fur on the ol' cognata seems to keep the bell quieter and the dogs back to chasing ambulances.
I agree Jacques. We should leave animals alone in their glory, especially the larger ones with teeth. Of course, survival isn't always about big teeth, or so I've herd.
(The 13th stops to peel a banana.)
Somedays I think evolution stopped at the ATM then headed for Vegas.
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