High intelligence only selected for man
Q: How can one species measure the intelligence of another? If measured by how effectively it solves life's problems, are trees
smarter than humans? -Jeff R., Corrales, New Mexico
A: We may be talking about two different concepts: human intelligence and survival smarts. We debate what is human intelligence but
can probably agree on salient features. Cleverness, the wide-ranging thoughts that solve novel problems. Guessing what might happen
next. Creating things: music, paintings, enterprises, books, devices, bridges... Playing musical instruments, dancing, and singing.
Language-foremost.
![[Paul Grobstein, Patricia Kinser, Serendip, Bryn Mawr C] Brains of various species: from human to squirrel](intelligence.jpg) [Paul Grobstein, Patricia Kinser, Serendip, Bryn Mawr C] Brains of various species: from human to
squirrel
Given what constitutes human intelligence, we can look at other species and see how they measure up.
Poorly. No other species demonstrates human intelligence to any extent.
Yet all other species have good survival characteristics or they wouldn't be here. They are successful.
Trees have been around perhaps a hundred times longer than humans and, in that sense, are more successful.
Each species has its own specialized survival strategy: humans, intelligence; trees, great height, pest-repelling bark. However, we are
almost the only species that evolved intelligence. It makes you wonder-how did we do it since it appears to have little to do with survival
of nearly all other species.
"... our intelligence arose primarily through the refinement of some brain specialization, such as that for language," argues William H.
Calvin, theoretical neurophysiologist at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Figure: Brains from collection made available by Philip Ulinski, Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago.
The brain shown in the top row is human; middle row: camel, cat, monkey, baboon; bottom row: rabbit, squirrel.
(Answered by April Holladay, science correspondent, February 27, 2002)
Further Surfing:
Serendip, Bryn Mawr C: Comparing brain sizes
Scientific American: The emergence of intelligence
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