Lemur genius
Lemurs have gotten a bad rap for years. Like humans and animals, they're primates. But for years scientists have assumed they're basically pretty stupid: Friendly and social, but dumb. Duke University professor Elizabeth Brannon decided to test this thesis by offering the lemurs a computer test: If they could complete a pattern on a touch-screen, they'd get a sugar-pellet treat.
Whaddya know? They all started lining up and completing really complex patterns. As a story in Reuters notes:
Although lemurs are social, they would often stop what they were doing to play on the computer.
"Occasionally, one animal would come over and finish the sequence started by another to get the reward," said Brannon.
It appears that lemurs are indeed able to count -- it's just that normally they couldn't be bothered. But dangle a couple of sugar pellets in front of 'em and hell, they'll learn calculus. As Brannon notes, this may help explain how human intelligence evolved; at some point in the distant past, homo sapiens might have hit upon the sweet spot of challenge-and-reward that got our brains to wake up and start inventing fire, tools, and Melrose Place.
Posted by Clive Thompson at May 13, 2004 04:09 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.collisiondetection.net/mt3/mt-tb.cgi/846
Hurray! All this time I've had a lemur tattooed on my stomach, I've been worried that maybe they weren't too bright... I'm glad to see that my fears have been laid to rest. Can I just take this opportunity to make a shameless plug for Duke's Adopt-A-Lemur program? You get a photo of "your" lemur and everything. Great for kids!
Posted by: Indri at May 13, 2004 5:56 PM
Forget about off-shoring. The lemurs are coming and they want our jobs!
Posted by: chandrasutra&liam at May 13, 2004 10:00 PM
Posted by: jeff at May 13, 2004 10:38 PM
ahahahah! Made you blink.
Indri, do you actually have a lemur tattoo? That would rock.
Posted by: Clive at May 14, 2004 1:31 AM
I worked with the lemurs at the Duke Primate Center for a semester and I can confirm that they are some of the smartest, and laziest, animals I've ever seen. They're great fun -- they'll come over to you and untie your shoelaces, if only you can coax them out of bed.
Posted by: Mary at May 14, 2004 1:09 PM
You actually worked with lemurs! That's excellent.
Posted by: Clive at May 14, 2004 1:29 PM
Yeah, I did an observational study there, which was basically long hours of boredom (lab notes: "still sleeping") interrupted by moments of glee (notes: "FIGHT!!!"). Kind of like punctuated equilibrium for the animal-behavior set.
Posted by: Mary at May 14, 2004 2:30 PM
Ahahhahah! That sounds like fun.
Posted by: Clive at May 14, 2004 3:26 PM
I LOVE LEMURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!They are the best animal in the world!
Posted by: Lemur #1 at June 10, 2004 8:14 PM
Posted by: carl at September 26, 2005 11:09 AM
Post a comment
Hurray! All this time I've had a lemur tattooed on my stomach, I've been worried that maybe they weren't too bright... I'm glad to see that my fears have been laid to rest. Can I just take this opportunity to make a shameless plug for Duke's Adopt-A-Lemur program? You get a photo of "your" lemur and everything. Great for kids!
Posted by: Indri at May 13, 2004 5:56 PM
Forget about off-shoring. The lemurs are coming and they want our jobs!
Posted by: chandrasutra&liam at May 13, 2004 10:00 PM
Melrose Place?
Posted by: jeff at May 13, 2004 10:38 PM
ahahahah! Made you blink.
Indri, do you actually have a lemur tattoo? That would rock.
Posted by: Clive at May 14, 2004 1:31 AM
I worked with the lemurs at the Duke Primate Center for a semester and I can confirm that they are some of the smartest, and laziest, animals I've ever seen. They're great fun -- they'll come over to you and untie your shoelaces, if only you can coax them out of bed.
Posted by: Mary at May 14, 2004 1:09 PM
You actually worked with lemurs! That's excellent.
Posted by: Clive at May 14, 2004 1:29 PM
Yeah, I did an observational study there, which was basically long hours of boredom (lab notes: "still sleeping") interrupted by moments of glee (notes: "FIGHT!!!"). Kind of like punctuated equilibrium for the animal-behavior set.
Posted by: Mary at May 14, 2004 2:30 PM
Ahahhahah! That sounds like fun.
Posted by: Clive at May 14, 2004 3:26 PM
I LOVE LEMURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!They are the best animal in the world!
Posted by: Lemur #1 at June 10, 2004 8:14 PM
skype recette de cuisine - winzip - blague - recette - tuning - logiciel - acrobat - edonkey - norton - wallpaper - telecharger musique - kazaa lite - partition gratuite - messenger msn - astrologie - imesh - baladeur mp3 - baladeur lecteur mp3 -
Posted by: carl at September 26, 2005 11:09 AM