General Whales and dolphins have human-like social structures and culture, say researchers

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Freeloading Rusty

Here comes Rover, sniffin’ at your ass
Jan 11, 2016
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Do whales have a culture? New study suggests growing whale brains may be evolving to become more social

Like humans, some whales are capable of complex social interactions and cultural behaviours, which a newly published study suggests may be linked to the size of the cetaceans' brains.

The research, largely done at the University of British Columbia, sheds new light on similarities between whale and human evolution and identifies a kind of evolutionary feedback loop between the behaviours and growing brain size.

"Similar pressures and possibilities in the environment can select for a similar outcome," said Kieran Fox, now a postdoctoral student at California's Stanford University and co-author of the new paper in Nature Ecology and Evolution.

Social hierarchy, complex relationships
Fox and his colleagues studied brain sizes and social behaviours of a wide variety of whale species.

They found that whales with the most complex forms of social interaction — which includes learning from elders, social hierarchies, co-operation and play — tend to live in mid-sized groups of between five and 20.

In species such as orcas, individuals have extended one-on-one contact required to develop social behaviour.

"Orcas are in matrilineal family clans," Fox said. "These groups stay together, very tight-knit, through their whole lives."

In addition, Fox found that whales with the largest "social repertoire" also have the largest and most developed brains relative to their bodies.

But which came first, the bigger brain or the richer relationships? Fox said his research suggests the two go hand in hand.

Learning beneficial new skills or social behaviours eventually requires a larger, more powerful brain. And a species that evolves a more powerful brain is better able to learn or develop relationships.

"That's the theory to this extremely powerful driver of brain evolution — once it gets going, you get some brain tissue that supports (social skills), then these individuals are going to do really, really well, because social co-operation and learning are very powerful survival strategies."

Fox calls the effect a positive feedback loop.

"Let's say a random increase in brain size or complexity gives you a greater capacity for social co-operation.

If these new social skills pay off, then natural selection will keep favouring expansion of this same brain area. The capacity for social skills and cooperation will expand in turn, and the cycle will repeat.

"What you'll eventually expect to see is that species that have large, complex brains will also tend to possess a wider repertoire of social behaviours — and this is exactly what we found among the whales and dolphins."

Humans are the classic example of how the link between powerful brains and rich, adaptive cultures can create a smashing evolutionary success.

Lacking frontal lobe

Moby Doll was the first ever orca caught for display in B.C. Scientist Paul Spong was fascinated by the complexity of Moby Doll’s big brain and set it next to a human brain to convince Greenpeace to help save the whales in 1975. (Greenpeace co-founder Rex Weyler)

Fox said his research shows how the same process may be at work in a completely different environment and species.

Whales aren't the only example of this kind of evolutionary strategy. Some primates and elephants also possess it, said Fox.

"A very different species in a totally different environment, diverging millions and millions of years ago, can nonetheless be selected for this very similar life strategy."

What's more, that strategy can be accomplished with very different types of brains. While whales lack the frontal lobes that humans rely on for most of their complex thinking, they have large and well-developed brain regions that don't really have a human counterpart.

Some scientists still maintain that because whale brains are so different, they can't be "intelligent."

"To me, that's foolish," Fox said.

"It denies the very possibility that a different brain structure could give rise to similar complexity or social skills. I think the evidence clearly shows that's possible."
 

Enock-O-Lypse Now!

Underneath Denver International Airport
Jun 19, 2016
11,742
19,623
Humans keep expanding and eating up land..destroying everything in its path for their own vain reasons ...

Inserts YouTube vids:

Matrix - humans are a disease
Wall Street 2 - "more"
 

kaladin stormblessed

Nala fanboy
Apr 24, 2017
17,627
20,132
Dolphins are my favorite animal by far

Swimming with them was life changing. My favorite moment alive. Looking into the eye of Isla (mother) and realizing how similar her brain was to my own
 
M

member 3289

Guest
Dolphins are my favorite animal by far

Swimming with them was life changing. My favorite moment alive. Looking into the eye of Isla (mother) and realizing how similar her brain was to my own
Clearly spoken by someone who has no connection with squirrels.
 

kaladin stormblessed

Nala fanboy
Apr 24, 2017
17,627
20,132
Clearly spoken by someone who has no connection with squirrels.
The two teen squirrels showed up yesterday (I've got video of their mom introducing them to me as babies).

And one of them, ever since a kid, loves crawling up my screen door to get my attention

I pet him thru the screen door then eventually told him to get down. I'm on the other side poking him in the stomach thru the screen and he's not moving lol

He finally got down and I hooked them up. So I'm hopefully he will run up my pant leg like that one dude u shared
 

Enock-O-Lypse Now!

Underneath Denver International Airport
Jun 19, 2016
11,742
19,623
Or maybe nature is pretty brutal and we are just trying to survive best as possible.
lol, humans are living healthy ..way to healthy and are consuming everything in sight without regard to the planet and the consequences that will come.

Despite the Nation in massive debt, the people keep "borrowing" and keep building ...consuming ..eating up Natures Natural resources, taking out Wild Life in their once natural habitat...cutting down Trees for more concrete more buildings.

To see what I'm talking about...check out this link: Google Timelapse

Type in your location and you can see first hand the developmental expansion that doesn't appear to be slowing down, in fact ..appears to be increasing with speed.

"I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You're a plague and we are the cure." ~ Agent Smith, The Matrix






The movie Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps sums up human behavior in one powerful clip ....and here I present to you:

 

Kingtony87

Batman
Feb 2, 2016
6,515
8,902
lol, humans are living healthy ..way to healthy and are consuming everything in sight without regard to the planet and the consequences that will come.

Despite the Nation in massive debt, the people keep "borrowing" and keep building ...consuming ..eating up Natures Natural resources, taking out Wild Life in their once natural habitat...cutting down Trees for more concrete more buildings.

To see what I'm talking about...check out this link: Google Timelapse

Type in your location and you can see first hand the developmental expansion that doesn't appear to be slowing down, in fact ..appears to be increasing with speed.

"I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You're a plague and we are the cure." ~ Agent Smith, The Matrix






The movie Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps sums up human behavior in one powerful clip ....and here I present to you:

And how long have people been living that healthy??? 100 years Max, and that's still only certain part's of the world. Have a little grace toward your fellow man. What mankind has achieved in spite of how difficult nature is is incredible. Shit the Spanish influenza killed 50 million people 100 years ago.
 

Enock-O-Lypse Now!

Underneath Denver International Airport
Jun 19, 2016
11,742
19,623
And how long have people been living that healthy??? 100 years Max, and that's still only certain part's of the world. Have a little grace toward your fellow man. What mankind has achieved in spite of how difficult nature is is incredible. Shit the Spanish influenza killed 50 million people 100 years ago.
I feel man is being led down to the slaughter ...we are dealing with inter dimensional beings who are deceiving humanity into merging with the machine.

Humanity is on the verge of extinction, true humans that we know today will be gone by the year 2065.

Crispr - A.I - Man Merging with Machines.

End times baby! We are in END TIMES!!!
 

Yossarian

TMMAC Addict
Oct 25, 2015
13,489
19,127
I feel man is being led down to the slaughter ...we are dealing with inter dimensional beings who are deceiving humanity into merging with the machine.

Humanity is on the verge of extinction, true humans that we know today will be gone by the year 2065.

Crispr - A.I - Man Merging with Machines.

End times baby! We are in END TIMES!!!