'Which Insects are the Smart Ones?'

[Sunstone]

Just to make clear, this is a thread about animal intelligence. The word 'insects' in the title should NOT be taken as meaning this is just one more thread on American politics. k?​

'Animal intelligence' is understudied, but I think it is bound to get a lot more attention in coming years. Mainly because there are so many ways that what's already known could 'suddenly' lead to extraordinary advances in human knowledge and understanding. It seems unlikely that not even one of those ways will 'change everything'.

Here's one of the things I have in mind. Typical Sunstone, I know. But perhaps someone else might be curious about it too.

As you know, there is no evidence of intelligence at some levels of the animal ladder. i.e the level of sponges and politicians. A few folks in the research community once thought Churchill, Lincoln, FDR, and perhaps even Sanders had some intelligence, but those folks are off working on their more recent theory that those politicians were actually AI programs installed in human-looking bodies by aliens.

However, if you climb only a few rungs higher, then something very important happens. Animal intelligence splits into lineages. Mammals, insects, birds (dinoaves), reptiles, etc. And then the fun starts.

'Cause each lineage tackles the challenge of evolving intelligence in somewhat its own way.

As the article states, the insects take a modular approach. Usually several little brains located in places around its body, with a slightly bigger, central brain -- and all of them capable of working independently of each other at times.

Mammals are the most studied, of course. Everyone knows they peaked with us and a brain so superior to any other life form on the planet that it is the only one intelligent enough to completely outwit and delude its owner from cradle to grave.

Birds are especially fascinating in at lest one way in particular. Their brains can rewire much faster than ours, and are so structurally different that some crows are just as smart or even smarter than 800 pound gorillas. The 'rewire' bit translates into they can re-task their brains to solve specific problems. Basically focus their neurons something like a magnifying glass, I imagine. Answer to 'How can such a tiny brain maybe outsmart an ape?'

Honestly, now comes the truly fun part.

What does it suggest about any number of subjects that each of those different approaches to navigating reality end up sometimes arriving at 'seeing the same thing'?

For instance...

Counting up to a few numbers (about three to seven in humans, depending on the individual) is instinctual in humans, some birds, and some insects. Please take into account there is no such thing as 'seeing reality' in animals. Animals, including us, only see our brain's interpretations of reality. So, here you have three radically different approaches to 'What is reality?' that all end up deciding reality includes the perception of number.

Add to that, 'What is reality?', is usually key to 'What is truth?'. Or, 'What is fact?'

Again, each lineage has species that recognize human faces. Some birds and mammals can recognize individual human faces. Easy to see how that could evolve. At the least, faces are full of vulnerabilities. If an insect is triggered to attack something massively outclassing it, best to attack its weaker parts, right? Lots of reasons recognizing faces could promote survival.

Of course, wouldn't the Theory of Evolution predict some likelihood of convergence here?
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The more I look into it, the more interesting the implications become. And unless I'm sadly mistaken that's just one of several general ways the study of animal intelligence could change things up in the coming years. Perhaps new ways of designing computers and computer networks?

I'm thinking even new methods of inquiry could emerge from this for what after all is a brain if not in some sense a key component in a method of inquiry? It would suit my sense of humor just fine if someday the question "Does god exist?" was convincingly resolved by a method of inquiry discovered while studying how a bee figures out what flowers mean to it.

I Asked Leading Entomologists: ‘What’s The Smartest Bug In The World?’

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[sun rise]

Ducking quickly: I knew you were capable of bugging us so well, @Sunstone

One way humans are like bees is the repetition of the dance. In human terms "if I told you once, I told you a thousand times..."

 

[Sunstone]

Ducking quickly: I knew you were capable of bugging us so well, @Sunstone

I like to think of bugging you guys as an art form. RF, meet Da Vinci.

Anyone want to do some coding for me?

One way humans are like bees is the repetition of the dance. In human terms "if I told you once, I told you a thousand times..."

If I'm understanding you, that's fascinating! Honestly fascinating. Maybe some kind of prototypical ritual behavior? Religion, anyone? Maybe lots to think about there.

 

[Twilight Hue]

According to New Scientist. It seems its the bumblebee.

Zoologger: The world's smartest insect

Who would have thunk?

 

[Valjean]

Does the dance require intelligence, in the commonly understood sense of the word? Is the bee thinking about it? Is there reason or intellect involved, or is it an automatic function, like sunflower helio-tracking, the complex cascade of reactions needed for photosynthesis, or cell mitosis?
These are usually considered automated, chemical functions, below the level of awareness, ie: not intelligent.

 

[Sunstone]

Does the dance require intelligence, in the commonly understood sense of the word? Is the bee thinking about it? Is there reason or intellect involved, or is it an automatic function, like sunflower helio-tracking, the complex cascade of reactions needed for photosynthesis, or cell mitosis?
These are usually considered automated, chemical functions, below the level of awareness, ie: not intelligent.

Intelligence is a useful term provided one is careful to know precisely what one (or someone else) means by it. Since that can legitimately vary from one context to another, researchers into animal intelligence have several definitions for it. I'm not sure all of those involve 'awareness' as you and I are most likely to understand it.

I once read an article that actually made a case for sometimes thinking of any evolved behavior as in some sense 'intelligent'.

 

[The Hammer]

These are usually considered automated, chemical functions, below the level of awareness, ie: not intelligent.

This sounds like an apt explanation for human emotional responses, as a whole.

 

[ChristineM]

It is my belief that some animals are entering their version of the stone age. Chimps for example have been making rudimentary stone hammers for over 4000 years and are known to make spears to hunt with.

Birds, more specifically crows and other corvids fashion twigs, leaves and feathers into tools and are pretty cool problem solvers

So many other mammals,fish, birds and insects show intelligence in their actions i eagerly await more research in the area

 

[Valjean]

It is my belief that some animals are entering their version of the stone age. Chimps for example have been making rudimentary stone hammers for over 4000 years and are known to make spears to hunt with.

Birds, more specifically crows and other corvids fashion twigs, leaves and feathers into tools and are pretty cool problem solvers

So many other mammals,fish, birds and insects show intelligence in their actions i eagerly await more research in the area

Animals develop whatever features are beneficial in their particular situations. Many exceed human abilities.
Brains are problematic. They're metabolically expensive; they use a lot of energy -- with questionable benefit. Beyond basic needs, there's nothing to select for intelligence. Unless there's some unusual situation, intelligence can be more risk than benefit.

 

[ChristineM]

Animals develop whatever features are beneficial in their particular situations. Many exceed human abilities.
Brains are problematic. They're metabolically expensive; they use a lot of energy -- with questionable benefit. Beyond basic needs, there's nothing to select for intelligence. Unless there's some unusual situation, intelligence can be more risk than benefit.

Features such a as those developed by the human during their evolution

 

[crossfire]

Since insects have several separate brains within their bodies that must coordinate together, what is keeping the brains of separate individuals from coordinating together? I have often mused over the nature of herding egregores (for lack of a better word) and how these egregores set their boundaries and how this ties in with tribalism and colonialism. (I consider bees to be a herd/colony animal.)

Can we gain any insight into how the different areas of our brains coordinate together by observing herding patterns of individuals within a colony?

 

[SomeRandom]

Which insect is the smartest? Why the ones that can avoid your shoes the most effectively, obviously