Birds: Smart, Or SCARY Smart?
Everybody knows parrots talk, but does Polly actually want a cracker, or has she just learned to mimic that sentence?
The debate over animal cognition goes way back. Darwin and Descartes had differing views on the subject, with Descartes falling on the side of disbelief.
Bur has science shed any light on this debate over the years? Many studies have been done on primates, mostly on the ones most similar to humans, but what about animals that could hardly be more genetically different from us? Descendants of the dinosaur with wings, a walnut sized brain, and opposable claws? Parrots, despite these defiantly un-human characteristics, are one of the few types of birds and only animals to vocalize human speech. But do they mean what they say, or are they just “parroting” the words.
In this episode of Curiosity Aroused, Stacey Baker gives an overview of the science on avian cognition, focusing mostly on the work of Dr. Irene Pepperberg and her African Grey parrot, Alex.
Recent research (and videos) on New Caledonian crows:
http://www.physorg.com/news191141879.html
Watch PBS Scientific American Frontiers episodes on animal communication featuring Alex the African grey parrot:
http://www.pbs.org/saf/1201/video/watchonline.htm
Birds of a feather attack together:
http://www.physorg.com/news192206159.html
Wiki on Alex the Parrot:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_(parrot)
Special thanks to Stacey Baker of Skepchick.org for that report, and thanks to the End Times Spasm Band for the music, which comes off their awesome new album, #2. Hear more at endtimesspasmband.com.
If you’d like to get your music on the show, or if you have episode ideas, or if you want to sponsor us, or if you just want to tell us a funny joke, drop us a line at curiositycast@gmail.com.
For more episodes of Curiosity Aroused, head to our website at curiosityaroused.com. You can also subscribe through iTunes. Thanks for listening.
