Intelligence researchers are inspired by chemistry
The periodic table organises all elements in a table according to their atomic numbers, i.e. the number of protons in their atomic nuclei. Chemical elements located in the same horizontal row share the same electrical properties. Elements in the same vertical column share chemical properties. This system has allowed scientists to predict the existence of elements even before they were discovered. Now intelligence researchers aim to systematise animal behaviour and brain structure in the same way.
Chimpanzees can use a stick to get a raisin through a hole. Zebrafish are able to count other zebrafish. Even a roundworm, with only 302 nerve cells, apparently thinks about whether to eat a treat or not. Animals have endless different capabilities, but does behaviour indicate intelligence? If so, which species is the most intelligent?
