U.S. researchers examined brain cells of Humpback Whales and reported on Monday that they share intelligence equivalent to human beings, apes, and other cetaceans such as dolphins.
These cells were bragged to set humans and great apes apart from other mammals. Now even Humpback Whales have been found to have these spindle cells- specialized cells positioned in the brain occupied in processing emotions and help interact socially.
The spindle cells helps to transmit signals in the nervous system, and are characterized by a large spindle shaped soma, steadily narrowing into a sole apical dendrite (axon) in one direction, with only a single dendrite facing opposite.
Other types of neurons have large number of dendrites but having been found in only two very restricted regions in the brains, spindle cells are unique from the rest.
Scientists have discovered that these cells play an important role in a wide range of cognitive abilities, development of intelligent behavior and adaptive response to changing conditions and cognitive dissonance. The cells are largest and most abundant in humans, connected to a large part of the brain, evidencing their contributions to greater ability of hominids to focus on complicated problems.
“This might mean such whales are more intelligent than they have been given credit for, and suggests the basis for complex brains either evolved more than once, or has gone unused by most species of animals”, the researchers said.
The researchers also said that these findings will help them understand and give an explanation for the various behaviors exhibited by the whales, such as complicated communication skills, the formation of alliances, cooperation, cultural transmission and tool usage.
Not only Humpback Whales, but even Killer Whales, Fin Whales, and Sperm Whales, have spindle cells existing in the same areas of the brains as humans, i.e, anterior cingulate cortex and frontoinsular cortex.
The research was conducted by Patrick Hof and Estel Van der Gucht of the Department of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and it was also found that the Humpbacks had structures that resembled "islands" in the cerebral cortex, seen in some other mammals.
The researches suggested that the islands must have evolved in order to promote quick and efficient communication between neurons.
“It’s absolutely clear to me that these are extremely intelligent animals,” says Patrick Hof.
“We must be careful about anthropomorphic interpretation of intelligence in whales,” says Hof. “But their potential for high-level brain function, clearly demonstrated already at the behavioral level, is confirmed by the existence of neuronal types once thought unique to humans and our closest relatives,” he says.
“They communicate through huge song repertoires, recognize their own songs and make up new ones. They also form coalitions to plan hunting strategies, teach these to younger individuals, and have evolved social networks similar to those of apes and humans,” Hof says.
The spindle cells appeared in humans and apes about 15 million years ago, but the researches indicated that in cetaceans they would have evolved earlier, possibly as early as 30 million years ago.
Unlike in humans, the researchers were baffled to find spindle cells in the frontopolar cortex at the front of the brain. Hof says “I do not yet know the significance of spindles found in areas other than those that contain the cells in humans and great apes”.
The functioning of the spindle cells is still under investigation but Hof strongly believes that the cells help in carrying messages to and fro from parts of the cortex.
The Humpback Whales are migratory species found in almost all oceans, spending its summers in cooler, high-latitude waters, but mating and calving in tropical and sub-tropical waters. Annually, it migrates 25,000 km, making it the most traveled mammalian specie. However, the Whales in the Arabian Sea do not migrate and remain in the tropical waters year round.
The species is not found in the eastern Mediterranean, the Baltic Sea or the Arctic Ocean.
@ ID proponents Do you read
@ ID proponents
Do you read the articles before you reply? This article did not say that humans (and apes) are nescessarily related to whales. In fact, it noted that it could have evolved twice.
To the accusation of faulty dating; It is possible that they used genetic mutation frequency analysis (statistics) to figure out the time or maybe some other analysis based on rock levels and fossils [of species that have the feature versus previous descendents that didn't]. Either way, to throw out the date based on the fact that one method you are familiar with is ignorant.
There real problem with intelligent design is just that it doesn't get us anywhere. We have no great insights and no new abilities by just explaining away everything with a simple answer. It was not by not investigating that we got where we are today.
("humans can adapt either successfully or unsuccessfully in hunting skills... They figured out how to make supermarkets and credit cards... Lets see an ape or whale do that... :-)" let's see an uncivilized human do that. it seems to me to be a case of serendipity more than anything, just as evolution is)
Evolution? What evolution?
When I read this article I didn't actually think it was about evolution. Nor about establishing any relationship between humans and whales. Nor about any of the other "issues" raised in the replies.
Further, to critique the science behind the paper based on reading an article about the paper is more than a little silly.
As for comparisons of intelligence I've got 2 things for you. 1. is a blog I read earlier today about one wish to make the world a better place.
2. is a quote from Douglas Adams, who wrote "...man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much - the wheel, New York, wars and so on - whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins always believed that they were far more intellent than man - for precisely the same reasons."
Ya, except apes don't have the equivalent intelligence of humans
Yet another scientific discovery based on physical similarities and not reality. Chicken embryos look like humans during early stages of gestation. The biogenetic law of recapitulation means all animals have similarities in embryonic development, but that doesn't mean that humans and chickens are distant relatives. It means we were all created by an intelligent being that used one method of creation for everything. Scientists used to tell us that human embryos developed with gill slits, but later found out they were just looking at flexion folds (wrinkles in the skin). Don't be fooled.
Darwinian Brigade is more like it
Gunika Khurana you (et al) tickle me... Just so that one can remain in the anti-intelligent-design Darwinian intellectual "in-crowd" you post an article riddled with unfounded illogical scientific conjecture about apes being our closest relatives and whales being smarter than we thought before. This when there is absolutely no Mt-DNA connection between us and them. There is no transitional fossil evidence to support that we are related either. And then to say that "The spindle cells appeared in humans and apes about 15 million years ago" - oh? Do you have some fossil evidence that was Carbon dated that far back? Oh wait you can't radioisotope date fossils can you - made of rock they are. So then what are we using as a chronologic Rosetta Stone for our scientist's out of whack paleo-chronology? Utter guess work and conjecture is my opinion. For this I must throw out ID with the baby's bath water? Darwinism is a religion too.
Cetaceans are very smart, I'll agree, but not nearly as smart as humans. All of that "spindle-cell" discovery is no indication that we evolved from them either. All of that whale hunting skills and such is IMO animal instinct ingrained in their brains by E.T. ID not mindless random evolution. IMHO ID-less evolution is scientifically illogical. Granted whales do teach hunting skills to there offspring but humans can adapt either successfully or unsuccessfully in hunting skills... They figured out how to make supermarkets and credit cards... Lets see an ape or whale do that... :-)
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