Space Beyond: The Untold Truth
Whether it's a coat of fur to stay warm or a pair of wings to fly, every life form has its own “perk” and way of surviving in the environment it is in. For humans it’s intelligence, the ability to acquire and use knowledge gained from experience or teaching. Of course! We all know that humans seem smart, but what about other animals?
Researchers have consistently shown, time again, that other animals besides humans have incredible intellect, and a perfect example is the chimpanzee. Chimpanzees have an extraordinary talent that allows them to temporarily store and use memory. A way researchers have observed this talent is through a computer test called the “Working Memory”. In this test, the person or animal will be shown a touch screen displaying the numbers 1 through 9 scattered around the board. They will be given as much time as they need to memorize the layout of the numbers. Once they tap the first number – in this case 1 – the rest of the numbers will be covered. The goal is to tap the right numbers in the correct order while they are covered.
A human such as Chris, the director of the Primate Research Institute, has much trouble remembering where the numbers are placed once covered while the chimpanzee that sits next to him easily taps all covered spots, passing the test. Despite Chris’s extraordinary puzzle and problem solving skills, he says, “It takes me ages to memorize where they are all placed, and when I think I've finally got it...It’s very very difficult.”
Yes, the chimpanzee’s way of temporarily storing and using memory is dazzling, however it is one of many examples of animals’ underrated and undiscovered intelligence we have seen. Most of which we see as something that everything does like communicating and observing. These seemingly common skills are really just the animals’ knowledge and thinking.
The Beluga Whale is one of hose peculiar animals that communicate with others through a mysterious but interesting method. Numerous studies also show that Beluga Whales are extremely intelligent.
So we were just talking about how life in space is rare and jaw-dropping, so how do animals learning and adapting tie into space? Well before we look too deep into the topic of space life, we first must understand how things think, and that there are many things we still have to learn. Here’s the thing, we revolve around the truth that humans are incredibly smart compared to the life forms we live around, but to other out-of-this-world species, we may seem kind of dumb.
This is because – not only does every life form perceive life differently, but because every life form perceives literally everything in a different way. This could be intelligence, time, movement, or maybe even a train of thought. An organism can have a thought every 10,000 years and to that organism it would seem normal. An animal may have an open path towards something, but may instead decide to go a longer way. And I have a belief that it is until we truly grasp this concept, we can know how life functions on Earth or how it functions on another planet – or how it functions anywhere for that matter.
Because if we can understand how something thinks or lives, it will only expand the untold boundaries of what crazy ET like life could be out there. Right? (editor's note: also sorry if a bit of the grammar is confusing! Astron is slowly learning!)
