According To The Study, Merpati Turns Out To Be ABLE To Different Space And Time

JAKARTA - Like humans, pigeons can also distinguish abstract concepts about space and time according to one study, but it seems they are using a region of the brain that is different from humans to do so.

The findings of the study, which was broadcast in the journal Current Biology, increase the recognition of the community of scientists that animal species at lower levels such as birds, reptiles and fish are able to make high-level abstract decisions.

"In fact, the cognitive abilities of birds are now seen as closer to the abilities of non-human humans and primates," said Professor Edward Wasserman of the University of Iowa, who led the study.

"The bird's nerve system has far greater capabilities than those contained in the term 'bird brain'," said Professor Wasserman, who has studied the intelligence of pigeons,riads, baikoons and other animals for more than four decades.

First author of Benjamin De Corte's study, University of Iowa student, said experimental results showed pigeon birds processing information about space and time in the same way humans and other primates did.

In humans, the part of the brain that perceives space and time is called the parietal cortex, which is in the outermost layers of the brain. The pigeon brain does not have a parietal cortex, so researchers argue the birds may use different brain areas to distinguish space and time.

"Cortex is not unique in assessing space and time," said De Corte.

"A doves have another brain system that allows them to anticipate all these dimensions," he said.