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Is my dog conscious?

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An official uses a retinal scan to positively identify an Iraqi man; Baghdaddi, Iraq, January 2007 (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

A sense of protection: is the immune system an extension of our minds?

Entering a body is much like entering a country. At the border, agents verify the identity of those seeking to…

Odysseus and the Sirens; detail from an Attic red-figured stamnos, ca. 480-470 BC from Vulci. (Image: Wikimedia Commons) We produce many types of sign. The story of Odysseus and the sirens crafts the word ‘siren’ into a metaphor; a culturally coded symbol. For the seafaring nation of ancient Greece, sirens symbolise the ‘inner voices’ familiar to sailors alone on the ocean. The story speaks of how prolonged isolation at sea can trick the mind, tempting a man to destroy himself.

What’s so different about human speech?

Despite a remarkably close genetic heritage, our capacity to articulate sounds and understand complex symbols is a ‘quantum leap’ beyond the capabilities of our chimpanzee cousins. The actions of our vocal Central Pattern Generator circuits therefore underpin how we articulate our thoughts, allocate meaning, and use a communication tool that allows us to think about what it is that makes us human. But can we think without language?

A dolphin mother calls to her calf using its unique signature whistle and teaches it to hunt. Male dolphins call each other’s whistle signatures when hunting. When meeting a new pod, dolphins call using their own signature whistles, as though announcing who is there. Whilst most mammals identify each other by scent, dolphins hold their breath when diving, so cannot use this sense. Instead these animals use signature calls (‘names’) to stay in contact with each other in low visibility conditions, and to strengthen social bonds between parents and offspring (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Putting things into words

The dolphin calf is barely three weeks old.  His mother nuzzles at him, calling softly.  The calf responds, mimicking her…

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