Originally posted by betazed
So here is another science thread. But I will not bore you with abstruse physics this time.
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Dolphins have always fascinated me. Here are some facts about them.
(a) They have brains larger than humans.
(b) They have a higher % of brain mass at birth.
(c) They are conscious of themselves (pass the mirror recognition test)
(d) They talk to each other (at least have very sophisticated communication abilities)
(e) They can make part of their brain go to sleep while the other part stays awake
(f) They have 360 degree vision
(g) They have acute echo location skills
(h) They can show creative behavior
An excellent site for Dolphin brains with numerous other references is here.
Given all this I would say the dolphin brain is one of the stupendous achievements of evolution at par with the human brain.
Which sometimes makes me wonder,
(a) is it possible that given another tens of thousand years or so of unhindered development (and provided we do not wipe them out) dolphins can develop intelligence comparable to humans. Another relevant question on the same lines is "Are Dolphins smarter than Neanderthals were 50,000 years ago"?
(b) Is it possible that dolphins have not evolved technology as such because they live in water (after all you cannot make fire in water, and dig for stones etc.)? And because they have not been subjected to the same environmental pressure as humans did when they came down from the trees onto the plains? Humans were under constant threat and were forced to adapt to survive. Dolphins on the other hand are perfectly adapted to their environment and face nowhere near the same threat level that early humans did.
Last but not the least let me quote Douglas Adams.
The humans thought that they were smarter than the dolphins because they have achieved so much - war, money and digital watches - in so short a time, while all the dolphins have done is muck about in the water and have a nice time. The dolphins thought they were smarter than man for precisely the same reason.
What do you think?
Hey, just be glad this didn't turn into a thread on how Bush and corporate America suck.Originally posted by betazed
Jeez people. Can't you read the posts in thread first before you type up a reply and hit submit?
For the third time in three pages
This thread is not about a comparison of dolphins vs. humans but rather how intelligent dolphins intrinsically are?
Originally posted by WillJ
To those who say dolphins are smarter than humans:
Take a dolphin and a human into a psychiatrist's office. Give them an IQ test. Assuming the human is average, he'll score about 100. Assuming the dolphin is average, it'll die from lack of water.
Case closed.
Surely you don't think I'm so stupid that you think my argument was a serious one?Originally posted by Tassadar
Take a human and a dolphin into a deepsea environement. Give them a survival test. Assuming dolphin is average, he score preety well. Assuming the human is average, it'll die from lack of air.
See... not easy like i said, try again.
