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Dolphins Recorded Having a Conversation For The First Time (telegraph.co.uk)
For the first time Russian researchers have recorded a conversation between two dolphins -- Yasha and Yana -- who were talking to each other in a pool. An anonymous Slashdot reader quotes The Telegraph:
Scientists developed an underwater microphone which could distinguish the animals' different "voices" [and] have now shown that dolphins alter the volume and frequency of pulsed clicks to form individual "words" which they string together into sentences in much the same way that humans speak...
"This language exhibits all the design features present in the human spoken language, this indicates a high level of intelligence and consciousness in dolphins, and their language can be ostensibly considered a highly developed spoken language, akin to the human language... Humans must take the first step to establish relationships with the first intelligent inhabitants of the planet Earth by creating devices capable of overcoming the barriers that stand in the way of using languages and in the way of communications between dolphins and people."
The dolphins listened to an entire "sentence" before replying, according to the article, which points out that dolphin brains are larger and more complex than the brains of humans.
"This language exhibits all the design features present in the human spoken language, this indicates a high level of intelligence and consciousness in dolphins, and their language can be ostensibly considered a highly developed spoken language, akin to the human language... Humans must take the first step to establish relationships with the first intelligent inhabitants of the planet Earth by creating devices capable of overcoming the barriers that stand in the way of using languages and in the way of communications between dolphins and people."
The dolphins listened to an entire "sentence" before replying, according to the article, which points out that dolphin brains are larger and more complex than the brains of humans.
There are a lot of language using animals which are not yet recognized. Humanity is just getting to the point of seeing that there are other intelligences here on Earth.
We have livestock working dogs. They exhibit a lot of language and string up to six words together, use adjectives and have names for each other, us and objects. We have about 300 words we use with them, both from us to them and them to us as well as what they use to each other. It is clear they have a lot more words they use with each other that I don't understand so their language is considerably more extensive than the smattering of pidgin we share.
Realize I'm not talking about Fluffy, a typical domesticated dog that was raised as a singleton isolated from other dog culture. These are livestock large working dogs that are far closer to their wolf ancestors and they grow up in a culturally rich environment of a many generational pack on our farm. They work for a living and know hundreds of individual livestock animals that they tend to on the farm.
Are we humans so self-centered that we did not expect other intelligent animials to talk with each other?
To converse, both sides have to want to talk.
Dolphins show little or no interest in actually teaching us their language, so it's more akin to learning a dead language from the last native speaker - one who hates your guts. It's not simple thing.
Then there's the assumption that we can have any kind of meaningful discourse with them, that they think in any way similar to us. That's just unproven.
Then there's the assumption that just listening is enough to learn anything at all. Even listening-and-playing-back does nothing. The dolphins know it's a recording and don't respond in the same way, even if they show interest.
To be honest, I see little point in trying. Dolphins aren't sitting those solving the maths equations that we can't. They are probably talking about where the fish are, where their friends are, and where the danger is. Not something we can usefully use, especially if they are bright enough to know recordings and ignore them.
The reason we don't yet have communications is because it's a lot of effort for almost zero gain.
Actually, not really. Among most species bigger brains = bigger neurons, so that the number of neurons increases far more slowly than you would expect. One of the major evolutionary leaps among primates was that neuron size remains relatively constant across species, so that larger primates have dramatically more neurons than their smaller cousins.
Which is largely responsible for the fact that, despite the fact that dolphins have larger brains than us, they have only ~20 blllion neurons, compared to our ~100 billion.
--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
since I read the entire article before replying.
Large bodies have exactly the same number of degrees of freedom and muscles as an equivalently shaped smaller one. Saying stuff like 'dinosaurs needed huge brains to control their huge bodies but were still dumb' as if brain density plays a factor in intelligence has always seemed like an unconvincing argument.
Social insect brains are fucking TINY (250k neurons) yet allow the creature a huge repertoire of behaviour.
Think if you had 250k nand gates to build the control logic for something that can walk, fly, build a nest, explore, gather food, herd other creatures, fight, flee, communicate, follow a trail, cut leaves, balance and carry things, and mate, you could do it?