Video footage of crows making and using tools to find food will help to explain how animals think, in a free public lecture at the University of Bath (Wednesday 10 February).
New Caledonian crows can choose, make and modify tools to extract food, achievements that just a few years ago were assumed to be only possible for humans.
Professor Alex Kacelnik, from the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford, will explain how crows can do this by showing video clips of them performing a series of tasks designed to unravel what goes on in their minds.
Professor Kacelnik said: “You don’t need to be clever to do clever things. When we ask ourselves how we solve problems in everyday life, our perception is that we do it by reasoning, but this may often be an illusion. Many more people know how to ride a bicycle than can explain the physical principles that keep them upright when they do.
“In my talk I’ll examine problem-solving abilities in animals, asking how much physics they understand when they use tools, and explain the difficulties of investigating the mind of any organism, human or otherwise, from watching its behaviour.
“Our present knowledge doesn’t allow us to remove the impression of the animal mind as a black, impenetrable box, but I’ll argue that the box is getting smaller and smaller as we learn more of what each species can do.”
The lecture will be held on Wednesday 10 February at the Claverton campus in 5W2.3 from 4.15pm to 5.05pm, no tickets necessary.
For more information please contact Dr Jonathan Cox in the Department of Chemistry on 01225 386548.
