4 ms·
> It's not likely that orcas' brains are changing on an anatomical level, said Josh McInnes, a marine ecologist who studies orcas at the University of British C
by dj_mc_merlin 3y ago
> It's not likely that orcas' brains are changing on an anatomical level, said Josh McInnes, a marine ecologist who studies orcas at the University of British Columbia. "Behavioral change can influence anatomical change in an animal or a population" — but only over thousands of years of evolution, McInnes told Live Science.
> But orcas are fast learners, which means they can and do teach each other some terrifying tricks, and thus become "smarter" as a group.
It feels weird to use quotations on "smarter" or pretend this is a complicated concept when it's just describing how humans achieved greater intelligence faster than the speed of evolution.
- OJFord 3y agoI read that as acknowledging that it was personifying (or animalifying rather) the group, a group doesn't really have an intelligence level to go up or down, to get smarter, but we know what we mean by that so it's a useful shorthand, but hence the scare-quotes. Not saying I'm necessarily right, just that was my interpretation before I saw your comment.
- ysavir 3y agoImagine if someone used those scare-quotes when talking about a group of humans. I don't know if they intended them as a form of personification, but it's surely unnecessary either way.
- TerrifiedMouse 3y ago> It feels weird to use quotations on "smarter" or pretend this is a complicated concept when it's just describing how humans achieved greater intelligence faster than the speed of evolution. It’s in quotes because the orca did not become smarter. If you replace orca with human, the quotes would still make sense.