There’s a new super-intelligent species on the block. Well, not really. The earliest Cetacions first evolved about 50 million years ago, according to marine biologists. Still, in that time dolphins have been developing mentally in a way that has astounded scientists who say recent discoveries place their mental capabilities at several times more than previously thought.
“They should be classified as human-like,” said Fern, a student studying marine biology, “They have a complex societal structure much like ours. They even kill each other out of anger and wage wars like us.” The recent research by Emory University in Atlanta Georgia highlights distinct similarities in brain composition between the creatures of the deep and humans. The speech centers in the brain are in particular comparable. And though their intelligence ranges from species to species, most dolphins are assumed to be more intelligent in cognitive functioning, problem solving, analytical and critical thinking, and communication than even chimpanzees. In fact, the research suggests that the only comparable competition dolphins may have is humanity.
Of course just as there are brilliant human beings, who surpass the simple dimensions of the enclosed space in their skull and reach into a deeper intelligence than seems possible by a few cubic inches of grey matter, could dolphins too have advanced so much that their own geniuses are comparably intelligent to an intelligent human? According to researchers, it’s possible, but would be exceedingly rare. The brain to body ratio, according to their research is far more important than the actual size of the brain itself. And dolphins, it seems, have comparable ratios to human beings.
Most interesting, perhaps, is the ability of dolphins to take behaviors and evolve them socially through similar memetic thought forms as human beings. Just as social trends, styles, and fads sweep the internet, the interconnected sonar of dolphins similarly evolves, often carrying with it information. Bottlenosed dolphins in regions rife with spiny sea urchins grab sponges to protect themselves from the prickly creatures while searching for food. In addition, a dolphin in captivity while she was being tended to for wounds suffered at sea, learned tricks from other dolphins such as walking on the surface of the water on her tail fin. After she was re-released into the wild blue oceans off Australia‘s coast, soon observers noted other dolphins performing the maneuver and it quickly became a normal sight to see dolphins dancing on the surface on their tail fins. This learned behavior is one dramatic and incredible way in which dolphins communicate ideas from one to another.
But is it as simple as this? In addition to their intelligence, dolphins also have a much darker side. They often exhibit behavior that mimics not only the most intelligent human beings but also the most destructive to their own species. Is it then to be surmised that the intelligence of a species overall is proportional to their capabilities for evil? What then would we do if encountering a super intelligent race? The question is understandably a troubling one for many.