Fish Pass Mirror Test, But
Does It Mean They’re Self-Aware?
“NEW YORK- Scientists report that a fish
can pass a standard test of recognizing itself in a mirror- & they raise a
question about what that means…
Since the mirror test was introduced in
1970, scientists have found that relatively few animals can pass it. Most
humans can by age 18 to 24 months, & so can chimps & orangutans, says
the test’s inventor, evolutionary psychologist Gordon Gallup Jr. of Albany
College in New York.
Passing the test suggests the animal can
‘become the object of its own attention,’ & if it does, it should be able
to use its own experience to infer what others know, want or intend to do, said
Gallup, who did not participate in the fish study.
The new paper…by PLOS Biology subjected up
to 10 fish to various parts of the test.
When 4 fish were injected with a tag that
left a visible brown mark under their throats, 3 scraped that part of their
bodies against a rock or the sandy bottom of the tank, as if trying to remove it.
In all, the researchers concluded that the
fish had passed the test…”
The
Associated Press
In The
Gazette, Montreal
Feb.
8/2019
Cute Critter Pic
Weekly Chuckle
No comments:
Post a Comment