Crows are Capable of Conscious Thought, Scientists Demonstrate for the First Time
Michelle Starr Science Alert New research into the minds of crows has revealed a jaw-dropping finding: the canny corvids aren’t just clever – they also possess a form of consciousness, able to be consciously aware of the world around them in the present. In other words, they have subjective experiences. This is called primary, or sensory, consciousness, and it had … Continue reading
Ingenious Crows Make Hooked Tools
The manufacture and use of tools has long been touted as a line of demarcation between humans and non-human animals: our technological prowess is what makes us human, it was thought. But research over the last few decades has blurred that line, as tool manufacture and use, and even the use of tools to make other tools (known as meta-tool … Continue reading
The Average Human IQ Has Been Decreasing Since 1970
Some of what is said in this article is really questionable, for example linking intelligence to eating fish, absolutely misleading. via PsyBlog: Average human IQ has been dropping over the last few decades, new research concludes. Potential culprits are worsening nutrition (particularly eating less fish), poorer education and the rise of new technologies. The trend is surprising as in the … Continue reading
Smarter Individuals Have Bigger Brain Cells Compared to Others
Could this possibly be the explanation for my enormous cranium? via New Scientist: Neurons with more connections may store more memories What makes some people smarter than others? It could come down to your individual brain cells – the bigger and faster your neurons, the higher your IQ. If confirmed, the finding could lead to new ways to enhance human … Continue reading
DNA Variants That Cause Poor Health May Also Make You ‘Stupid’
What makes some people smarter than others? A genetic analysis of families in Scotland, UK, hints that brainier people have fewer DNA mutations that impair intelligence and general health, rather than having more genetic variants that make them smarter. “This is one of the most exciting studies on the genetics of intelligence I’ve seen for a while,” says Steve Stewart-Williams … Continue reading
7 Signs That You Are Probably Smarter Than Average (No IQ Test Needed)
No IQ test required, here are some hints that your intelligence might be above average. Other studies now suggest a link between intelligence and mental illness that may go back into our evolutionary past. The increased intelligence of Homo sapiens was originally a result of gene mutations. The cost of these gene mutations, however, may have been an increase in … Continue reading
Are Atheists Generally Smarter Than Religious People?
For more than a millennium, scholars have noticed a curious correlation: Atheists tend to be more intelligent than religious people. It’s unclear why this trend persists, but researchers of a new study have an idea: Religion is an instinct, they say, and people who can rise above instincts are more intelligent than those who rely on them. “Intelligence — in … Continue reading
How Do Tiny Little Bee Brains Do So Much?
Recently, researchers at Queen Mary University of London trained a group of buff-tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) to get little balls into goals — in a soccer-like game — in exchange for sweet treats. It’s not the first time bees have flexed their mental muscle in the lab. In addition to learning games, bees can also recognize human faces in photographs, … Continue reading
Research Shows Elephants are Even More Intelligent than We Thought
Elephants have passed a test of intelligence which scientists say has “profound” implications for our understanding of their mental capabilities. They were found to be capable of performing a task that showed they have a level of self-understanding that is rare in the animal world and defeats humans until they are about two years old. Elephants have already shown they … Continue reading
Chemicals Making Us Sterile and Dumb
Over the last seventy-five years, men have seen a sharp reduction in reproductive capacity, and evidence suggests that commonly found chemicals are to blame. If that news isn’t stark enough for the future of humankind, these chemicals are also making us dumber. A recent piece in the New York Times drew attention to an important issue: endocrine-disrupting chemicals in everyday … Continue reading
