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Science and Ideas Group: Non-Human Intelligence

When:
Wednesday, January 08, 2020, 3:00 PM until 5:00 PM
Where:
Ashby Village Office
1821 Catalina Avenue
Berkeley, CA  94707

510-204-9200
Additional Info:
Event Contact(s):
Gerald S Abrams
Category:
Interest Group
Registration is not available online - contact the event coordinator
Payment In Full In Advance Only
No Fee











RSVP: Not required

When: Every 2nd Wednesday of the month, 3:00-5:00 pm

Where:  Ashby Village Office, 1821 Catalina Ave., Berkeley

Open to: All

Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible


Join a dynamic group of individuals who enjoy sharing and discussing science-focused topics. Each month the group selects a new topic to focus on via their online email forum. Speakers and/or readings often support the lively discussions.

Non-Human Intelligence  will be our discussion topic for January.
We can take as a starting point in our discussion of intelligence our idea that "intelligence (in all cultures) is the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use our knowledge to adapt to new situations".  Please see  http://www.psych.purdue.edu/~willia55/120/10.IntelligenceMM.pdf  for an overview of the field.

In the past, intelligence was ascribed to humans only.  Now more and more evidence of intelligence shows up in some surprising non-human species.

Science and Ideas members Roger and Audre Newman will lead the discussion.  Roger will describe examples of intelligence in non-human vertebrates with an eye to developing a fuller understanding of what varieties of intelligence exist. Audre will describe some examples of sensory reception and intelligence in invertebrates, notably octopus, cuttlefish, caterpillars and even plants. Suggested readings:

Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness, by Peter Godfrey-Smith . ISBN-13:978-0374227760

“Light Sensors in Cephalopod Skin”, KERRY GRENS, 2015

https://www.the-scientist.com/the-nutshell/light-sensors-in-cephalopod-skin-35430


"The Intelligent Plant",  Michael Polen, 2013

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/12/23/the-intelligent-plant

 

"These Caterpillars Can Detect Color Using Their Skin, Not Their Eyes." 2019

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-caterpillars-can-detect-color-using-their-skin-180972996/  


Future monthly areas of focus will be posted here once finalized.




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