RE: Bird Brains...er Dino Brains

["Stewart, Dwight" <Dwight.Stewart@VLSI.com>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Pete Murray [SMTP:pgmurray@glue.umd.edu]
> Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 1998 8:13 PM
> To:   gobi2010@hotmail.com
> Cc:   dinosaur@usc.edu
> Subject:      Re: Bird Brains...er Dino Brains
> 
> Apologies in advance for the reply if this is off topic...
> 
> <GOBI 2010 wrote:
>  
>   [Stewart, Dwight]  :-)  And lets not forget how threatened many humans
> are by the PROSPECT of
        intelligence in OTHER animals.  We assume a LOT about animal
behavior based on our uniquely
        primate perspective.  Dinosaurs were the dominant animals on land
for over 150 million years.  We
        (on the other hand) have been dominant here for what(?): several
thousand years.  And have existed
        even as proto humans for only a bit over 2 million years.  So far,
dinosaurs were (or if one counts birds - ARE)
        vastly more successful than we.  We have them beat in the arrogance
& self importance department
        hands down though! :-) But I'd trust the world of a neurologists
about the criteria for estimating
        intelligence, especially with the latest developments in brain
activity monitoring.  

        Some neurologist estimate that human intelligence may vary by as
much as an order of magnitude.
        And that conventional IQ & aptitude tests are testing much too
narrow a range.

        Getting a definition OF intelligence can even be iffy.  In order to
cope with the vast changes that took place
        during their long reign on earth, dinosaurs had to have been
adaptable in a variety of ways, including the
        implied ability to learn.  I'll bet that a Tyrannosaurus who was
gored by a Tricerotops (& lived) was more
        reluctent to tackle an adult specimen! :-)

        Dwight


>