“I own that I cannot see as plainly as others do, and as I should wish to do, evidence of design and beneficence on all sides of us. There seems to me too much misery in the world. I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created the Ichneumonidae with the express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of Caterpillars, or that a cat should play with mice.”
~ Charles Darwin, letter to Asa Gray, May 22, 1860
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Ichneumonidae is a family of parasitic wasps, and one of my particular research interests. If you’ve never heard of a parasitic wasp before, think chest-burster from Alien, but for insects. A more scientific definition is that parasitoid waspslay their eggs inside or on top of other insects; those eggs then grow and develop by feeding on their host’s tissue, resulting in the eventual death of the host. Estimates of the total species range from 60,000 to over 100,000.
In the opinion of “self-aggrandizing” humans, Dolphins are considered the “second” most intelligent species on Earth. (Definition: self-aggrandizing n. The act or practice of enhancing or exaggerating one’s own importance, power, or reputation.)
What is the definition of “intelligent”?Intelligence = the ability to perceive and apply optimum solutions for the problems of existence in the Eternal Now.
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish is the fourth book of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy “series” written by Douglas Adams. This book demonstrates clearly that Dolphins are the MOST intelligent species of animal on Earth, followed by mice and humans. If you haven’t read this book, you will not understand why you are not as intelligent as a Dolphin or mouse.
The definition of “human intelligence” is obviously an oxymoron, like “blind as a bat”. Factually, bats and Dolphins — and many other life-forms have have super-human sensory perception! Humans consider themselves to be intelligent, yet they carefully and mindlessly overlook an extraordinary number of FACTS that demonstrate STUPENDOUS STUPIDITY in their own behavior.
Here is a very short list of factors that demonstrate clearly that human beings are NOT the most intelligent, but actually the LEAST intelligent species of Earth:
Humans kill other human beings routinely in enormous numbers in a psychopathic frenzy called “war”.
Humans have created enough nuclear bombs to kill every living organism on Earth (including themselves) 1,000 time over.
Humans routinely destroy the habitat and kill every last living member of an entire species of life form. If current rates of human destruction of the biosphere continue, one-half of all species of life on earth will be extinct in 100 years! (Click link to read article on EXTINCTION in Wikipedia.org)
ARTICLE: “Scientists say dolphins should be treated as ‘non-human persons'” Jonathan Leake, Published: 3 January 2010 in THE SUNDAY TIMES
Dolphins have been declared the world’s second most intelligent creatures after humans, with scientists suggesting they are so bright that they should be treated as “non-human persons”. Studies into dolphin behavior have highlighted how similar their communications are to those of humans and that they are brighter than chimpanzees. These have been backed up by anatomical research showing that dolphin brains have many key features associated with high intelligence.
The researchers argue that their work shows it is morally unacceptable to keep such intelligent animals in amusement parks or to kill them for food or by accident when fishing. Some 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises die in this way each year.
“I own that I cannot see as plainly as others do, and as I should wish to do, evidence of design and beneficence on all sides of us. There seems to me too much misery in the world. I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created the Ichneumonidae with the express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of Caterpillars, or that a cat should play with mice.”
Ichneumonidae is a family of parasitic wasps, and one of my particular research interests. If you’ve never heard of a parasitic wasp before, think chest-burster from Alien, but for insects. A more scientific definition is that parasitoid wasps lay their eggs inside or on top of other insects; those eggs then grow and develop by feeding on their host’s tissue, resulting in the eventual death of the host. Estimates of the total species range from 60,000 to over 100,000.