A Michael Broad Blog
Like others, in online videos I have seen cats look in a mirror at themselves. Almost always they see another cat. However, I have seen a video in which it seemed that the cat did recognise themselves and had decided to check if they were indeed looking at themselves by raising their forelegs to …
I’d like any viewers to tell me in a comment what is wrong with this AI created picture of a kitten playing with his shadow which has been thrown onto a wall. It is a very fine picture but the computer which created it, DALL-E 3, has made a fundamental mistake which points to …
A recent study published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa sheds light on a fascinating behavior observed in Asian elephants. These majestic creatures have been found to mourn and bury their dead calves, a behavior reminiscent of human funeral rites. Here are the key findings from the study: This remarkable discovery highlights the emotional …
No, cats do not fear death. The reason is straightforward. Cats are not self-aware by which I mean self-conscious. Some people will dispute that statement. I’ll proceed though. As they are not self-aware when they are in pain or discomfort due to a chronic illness which is killing them or a sudden trauma and …
The mirror test is when you look in the mirror and recognise yourself. You are self-aware. Cats can’t do it. Some people are saying these videos prove that cats are self-aware. I don’t see it that way myself. As I understand it (and the videos are initially a bit baffling) these are videos made …
The eternal question as to whether cats are self-aware is asked again in this compilation of short videos of cats looking at their reflections in mirrors. And they are not. If they were they’d understand mirrors and recognise themselves in the reflection. Well, that’s the theory. They see another cat and go around the …
