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posted by martyb on Friday February 12 2021, @03:26AM   Printer-friendly
from the Some-Pig! dept.

Pigs show potential for 'remarkable' level of behavioral, mental flexibility in new study

Pigs will probably never be able to fly, but new research is revealing that some species within the genus Sus may possess a remarkable level of behavioral and mental flexibility. A study published in Frontiers in Psychology [open, DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631755] [DX] tested the ability of four pigs to play a simple joystick-enabled video game. Each animal demonstrated some conceptual understanding despite limited dexterity on tasks normally given to non-human primates to analyze intelligence.

The study involved two Yorkshire pigs named Hamlet and Omelette, and two Panepinto micro pigs, Ebony and Ivory. All four animals were trained to approach and manipulate a joystick with their snouts in front of a computer monitor during the first phase of the experiment. They were then taught how to play a video game in which the goal was to move a cursor using the joystick toward up to four target walls on the screen.

Each pig performed the tasks well above chance, indicating the animal understood that the movement of the joystick was connected to the cursor on the computer screen. The fact that these far-sighted animals with no opposable thumbs could succeed at the task is "remarkable," according to the researchers.

Also at The Guardian, Gizmodo, and TechRaptor.

Hat tip to The Mighty Buzzard for his submission which gave us the TechRaptor link!)

Journal Reference:
Candace C. Croney, Sarah T. Boysen. Acquisition of a Joystick-Operated Video Task by Pigs (Sus scrofa), Frontiers in Psychology (DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631755)


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  • (Score: 2, Funny) by fustakrakich on Friday February 12 2021, @03:43AM (2 children)

    by fustakrakich (6150) on Friday February 12 2021, @03:43AM (#1111840) Journal

    And the military can use them to fly drones. Next best thing to sharks and lasers...

    --
    La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
    • (Score: 2) by helel on Friday February 12 2021, @04:12AM (1 child)

      by helel (2949) on Friday February 12 2021, @04:12AM (#1111845)

      Pigeons would be better. [wikipedia.org]

      • (Score: 1) by khallow on Friday February 12 2021, @12:51PM

        by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Friday February 12 2021, @12:51PM (#1111933) Journal

        Pigeons

        I saw what you did there.

  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by wirelessduck on Friday February 12 2021, @05:02AM (3 children)

    by wirelessduck (3407) on Friday February 12 2021, @05:02AM (#1111850)
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @07:11AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @07:11AM (#1111873)

      it's the same researchers, with the same research.
      literally the article printed in 2021 lists "IBM 386" in the "apparatus" section.

      slow review process?

    • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Friday February 12 2021, @08:06AM (1 child)

      by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Friday February 12 2021, @08:06AM (#1111880) Homepage
      Good call. Pig names the same - but strangely the researchers have changed their names in the ("modern") BBC version of the story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-56023720 which names "Dr Candace Croney".

      But why does the BBC story's names differ?
      One possibility is that BBC published a new new story, and other sites picked up on it, but didn't want to directly copy, so googled around, and found the old story, and regurgitated that. However, the BBC's isn't convincingly new (look at the photos).

      Another possiblility is that everyone is regurgitating.

      The breaking news is apparently that these pigs are ruminants.
      --
      Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
      • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Friday February 12 2021, @08:10AM

        by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Friday February 12 2021, @08:10AM (#1111882) Homepage
        Is this: https://www.vet.purdue.edu/fileshare/directory/images/croney-candace-me.jpg
        The same person as this: https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/16238/production/_116908609_e7ce8b03-c200-46b4-8891-6fbe3373440b.jpg
        ?
        --
        Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @06:26AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @06:26AM (#1111863)

    Leave Brittany Alone!!!

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @01:09PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @01:09PM (#1111935)

    First they killed George Floyd, now they want to play video games?

  • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Friday February 12 2021, @01:44PM

    by Gaaark (41) on Friday February 12 2021, @01:44PM (#1111944) Journal

    Makin' bacon with Macon!

    --
    --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @03:11PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @03:11PM (#1111970)

    --nomsg

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