http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/06/sc...138&ei=5087%0A
This is truly a fascinating article. I admit to spending entirely too much time lost in thoughts concerning the evolution of intelligence. It's difficult to answer the two giant questions regarding it:
1) Why are we the only species with our level of intelligence?
2) What gradual adaptations could have led to it?
It's fascinating to think about; intriguing to read about experiments like these that will some day help us understand.
Quote:
“If it’s so great to be smart,” Dr. Kawecki asks, “why have most animals remained dumb?”
Dr. Kawecki and like-minded scientists are trying to figure out why animals learn and why some have evolved to be better at learning than others. One reason for the difference, their research finds, is that being smart can be bad for an animal’s health.
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Remeber cro-magnons were smarter then us. The had bigger brains, better lives, but in the end still went extinct so in the end it is a bit of luck and subtle minipulation that we are the top and not sharks or some other oddity. :P