Science from Singularity’s Children: Smart Cetaceans

In my Singularity’s Children series, animals are smart, but get a raw deal because they are hampered by a lack of hands and tongues, a deficiency overcome by the BugNet, AKA: IOA, The Internet of Animals.

The more science tells us about how smart —and devious— animals really are, the more convinced I become that we have already discovered “Alien Intelligence”.

Humpback Whale Communication and the Search for Alien Intelligence, watch the video here:

“The study of animal communication challenges our ideas of intelligence and informs our search for life in the universe. Among the most fascinating of vocalizations are the songs and sounds of humpback whales.”

https://youtu.be/-CIcIZzz8B4

Teenage Dolphins Get High on Puffer Fish Toxin



I’m not in anyway surprised!

Like us, they are conscious animals facing down a stark, brutal, universe… whatever works to take the edge off.

https://kottke.org/18/10/teenage-dolphins-get-high-on-puffer-fish-toxin

Bottom line these creatures are people; Singularity’s Children like us
…which happens to be one of the key themes in my books.

Also reminds me of this: “Parrot tells rescuer to F@&K Off!”

Clever Ravens

Animals are smart, much smarter than we usually give them credit for…

These Ravens show advanced planning, and more impressively, self-control.
Our last common ancestor was over 300Million years ago, so they are basically alien thinkers, most similarities are due to convergence of evolution.

That some animals might be ‘people‘ is one of the premises of my Singularity’s Children series.

These studies were carefully set up to show that the ravens could plan
under flexible conditions—different time delays, and solving either a
mechanical (puzzle box) or social (bartering) problem. They didn’t just
match apes in their performance; they beat them. The ravens even
performed better than 4-year-old children.