Posthuman Blues

Crows as Clever as Great Apes, Study Says

"New Caledonian crows manufacture two very different types of tool for finding prey. Hooks crafted from twigs are used to poke grubs from holes in trees, while they also cut up stiff leaves with their beaks, carefully sculpting them into sharp instruments for probing leaf detritus for insects and other invertebrates."

Prairie dogs, crows . . . what's next?

I like this news item, by the way. Perhaps if humanity snuffs itself crows will reign supreme. Imagine avian archaeologists a few million years from now stumbling across the ruins of a Wal-Mart.

Reading assignment: "Brain Wave" by Poul Anderson

Film assignment: "The Birds" by Alfred Hitchcock (What else?)