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Scientific American Mind - December 23, 2008
One World, Many Minds: Intelligence in the Animal Kingdom
We are used to thinking of humans as occupying the sole pinnacle of
evolutionary intelligence. That's where we're wrong
By Paul Patton
We were talking about politics. My housemate, an English professor,
opined that certain politicians were thinking with their reptilian
brains when they threatened military action against Iran. Many people
believe that a component of the human brain inherited from reptilian
ancestors is responsible for our species' aggression, ritual behaviors
and territoriality.
One of the most common misconceptions about brain evolution is that it
represents a linear process culminating in the amazing cognitive
powers of humans, with the brains of other modern species representing
previous stages. Such ideas have even influenced the thinking of
neuroscientists and psychologists who compare the brains of different
species used in biomedical research. Over the past 30 years, however,
research in comparative neuroanatomy clearly has shown that complex
brains--and sophisticated cognition--have evolved from simpler brains
multiple times independently in separate lineages, or evolutionarily
related groups: in mollusks such as octopuses, squid and cuttlefish;
in bony fishes such as goldfish and, separately again, in
cartilaginous fishes such as sharks and manta rays; and in reptiles
and birds. Nonmammals have demonstrated advanced abilities such as
learning by copying the behavior of others, finding their way in
complicated spatial environments, manufacturing and using tools, and
even conducting mental time travel (remembering specific past episodes
or anticipating unique future events). Collectively, these findings
are helping scientists to understand how intelligence can arise--and to
appreciate the many forms it can take.
The Tree of Life
To understand why a new view of the evolution of brains and minds is
only now coming to full fruition, it is useful to review historical
notions.
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