​Highlighting the parallels between humans and non-human animals (2)

​Highlighting the parallels between humans and non-human animals (2) 

I wrote the following for  "Unity in Diversity," the verse-narrative project headed by Dr. Rohini Ramanathan. Here is more information and context about the project. 

Scientists take an evolutionary view of diversity – why do some areas have several waterfowl species? How does a sparrow identify its kin? What makes a species, a species? How do scientists recreate the history of life? How is information gathered from fossils? Eventually, the conversation comes to us humans or Homo Sapiens. Why are Homo Sapiens the only hominin (descended from the apes) species currently alive? Does the answer lie in the human brain and the folds of our prefrontal cortex? Is it our capacity to plan, prepare for the future, and think about thinking; is it our capacity to feel shame, compassion, and embarrassment that makes us human? And there is always the issue of intelligence. Scientists are obsessed with intelligence – how it is measured, how human intelligence compares to a chimp’s or a bonobo's, can humans make machines that are as intelligent as us. We scientists delight when we discover that crows can fashion tools and hold grudges, elephants grieve for their loved ones, octopuses can deceive and mimic others, and rats show altruism. Indeed, do animals around us have validity outside of what we ascribe to them? Fortunately, anyone who has had the privilege of a close relationship with an animal and has made the effort to listen knows the answer.