Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Are Whales People, too?

At the recent meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS ) held in Vancouver, BC, one topic discussed by scientists was whether whales and dolphins should have rights that are currently only given to humans. Kari Koski, The Whale Museum, spoke about the Southern Residents as being given some "rights" because they have been declared endangered. Because whale and dolphin brains are on a proportionate scale with the size of their bodies (as are humans), they have developed hunting strategies, and have unique communications among pod members as well as a complex cultural structure, some scientists argued these were reasons to give them some moral rights. Read the entire article: http://www.economist.com/node/21548150?fsrc=rsssct


To learn more about the AAAS, click here: http://www.aaas.org/aboutaaas/

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