Are we humans simply remodelled apes? Chimps with a tweak? Is the difference between our genomes so minuscule it justifies the argument that our cognition and behaviour must also differ from chimps by barely a whisker? If “chimps are us” should we grant them human rights? Or is this one of the biggest fallacies in the study of evolution? NOT A CHIMP argues that these similarities have been grossly over-exaggerated - we should keep chimps at arm’s length. Are humans cognitively unique after all?
Friday, 7 January 2011
Border Collie Comprehends over 1000 Object Names as Verbal Referents
Here's an absolutely fascinating article about research with a Border Collie called Chaser, who can recognize the noun names for 1022 objects. The researchers only stopped at 1022 because of time constraints, not because they had reached the limit of Chaser's cognition. Much more importantly, tests revealed that Chaser understood the nouns as proper referents to each of her toys and did not mis-interpret them as commands. She showed an ability to combine toy names with a range of commands - and behaved accordingly. She was also capable of grouping her 1022 toys according to categories.