Caption: 3D rendering of Tyrannosaurus Rex near extinction.; Shutterstock ID 471399755; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: - Photographer: Herschel Hoffmeyer Source: Shutterstock Copyright: CREDIT: Shutterstock/Herschel Hoffmeyer
Shutterstock/Herschel Hoffmeyer
What are the chances that dinosaurs would have developed human-like abstract intelligence if they hadn’t been wiped out?
Tim Lewis
Narberth, Pembrokeshire, UK
They have! Articles in New Scientist over the years refer to the intelligence of dinosaur descendants.
Birds such as the New Caledonian crow show sophisticated use of tools, as well as the ability to plan ahead. Magpies have demonstrated cunning and deception and many migratory birds have almost miraculous powers of navigation.
Gary Miller
Metamora, Michigan, US
To begin, it must be understood that there is no inevitability for human-like intelligence to evolve. The evolutionary process has …