Read about this gorgeous border collie "Betsy" in an article about animal minds in an old copy of the National Geographic Magazine that someone had brought into work. A really fascinating read into how the minds of several species of animals works when compared to humans. of course there were the usual ape characters but it also followed studies into birds, parrots and jays to name a few, elephants, sheep, octopi, dolphins and of course dogs. Both Betsy and another border collie, Rico, have learnt hundreds of words and can retrieve said objects from name or in the case of Betsy, a photo of the object. She is said to have a vocab of 300+ words and counting! It was amazing to think that animals other than apes have almost human like traits and the following quote will probably stay with me:- "This is the larger lesson of animal cognitive research: it humbles us. We are not alone in our ability to invent or plan or to contemplate ourselves - or even to plot and lie."
The other edition of the mag that caught my eye, someone has brought in a large collection of these old mags, was on "Unmasking Skin". It was an amazing insight into something that covers our entire being and which we probably take for granted most of the time. It dealt with the mechanics of skin, apparently it measures pressure, pain and temperature but not wetness, it's our brain that interprets us as being wet in the shower not our skin and touch is the most important thing of all especially for young babies. Denied human contact they can withdraw into themselves and even die. It covered the layers of skin and our defences against the sun, tribal tattoos, burns and our desires over the years to be lighter/darker depending on fashions.
All very interesting stuff which whiles away a lunchtime in paradise ;-)
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