Boxer and Feinstein drink the Kool-Aid

By Michelle Malkin  •  December 18, 2007 08:22 AM

No, really:

Monkeys performed about as well as college students at mental addition, U.S. researchers said on Monday in a finding that suggests nonverbal math skills are not unique to humans.

The research from Duke University follows the finding by Japanese researchers earlier this month that young chimpanzees performed better than human adults at a memory game…

…”This is the first study that looked at whether or not they could make explicit decisions that were based on mathematical types of calculations,” said Jessica Cantlon, a cognitive neuroscience researcher at Duke, whose work appeared in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Biology (www.plosbiology.org).

“It shows when you take language away from a human, they end up looking just like monkeys in terms of their performance,” Cantlon said in a telephone interview.

Her study pitted the monkey math team of Boxer and Feinstein — two female macaque monkeys named for U.S. senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein of California — with 14 Duke University students.

“We had them do math on the fly,” Cantlon said.

Their compensation?

As for the teams, both were paid. Boxer and Feinstein got their favorite reward: a sip of Kool-Aid soft drink.

***

Commenter wrcnossen writes: “And you should see how the rats ‘Pelosi and Reid’ perform.”

Ha.

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Comments


  1. #1
    On December 18th, 2007 at 8:26 am, 30 pcs of silver said:

    What a way to start the day.

    This is ripe with commentary.

    Boxer and Feinstein got their favorite reward: a sip of Kool-Aid soft drink.

    No Kiddin’…!

  2. #2
    On December 18th, 2007 at 8:27 am, ajmontana said:

    Can we out here in California make a trade straight up? Feinstien and Boxer for Boxer and Feinstien? :shock:

  3. #3
    On December 18th, 2007 at 8:31 am, ajmontana said:

    forgot to say please.. :)

  4. #4
    On December 18th, 2007 at 8:36 am, Eclectic said:

    Wow, they’re so lucky – I’ve always wished to have a monkey named after me!

    I bet the Kook-Aid (oops, Freudian slip?) was donated from the originals’ personal stashes!

  5. #5
    On December 18th, 2007 at 8:40 am, Boomer said:

    Thanks for the morning laugh Michelle, so glad I was not drinking anything when reading this. ;)

  6. #6
    On December 18th, 2007 at 8:41 am, wrcnossen said:

    And you should see how the rats “Pelosi and Reid” perform.

    By the way MM – great job on F&F this morning.

  7. #7
    On December 18th, 2007 at 8:45 am, swj719AWG said:

    Priceless…

  8. #8
    On December 18th, 2007 at 9:06 am, TexasTiger said:

    On December 18th, 2007 at 8:41 am, wrcnossen said:
    And you should see how the rats “Pelosi and Reid” perform.

    Better than the gerbils, Frank and Foley?

  9. #9
    On December 18th, 2007 at 9:08 am, ThackerAgency said:

    U.S. researchers said on Monday in a finding that suggests nonverbal math skills are not unique to humans.

    I did not know this was unknown. Haven’t there been counting horses for years and years at circuses? Addition and subtraction even.

    Maybe the next study will be on whether or not dogs can smell better than humans, or whether birds can see better than humans. It’s amazing the discoveries that scientists make.

  10. #10
    On December 18th, 2007 at 9:13 am, trinitytim said:

    Wouldn’t Pelosi and Reid be more like “snakes” rather than rats? :roll:

    Actually, they’d be rat snakes

  11. #11
    On December 18th, 2007 at 9:15 am, Wade said:

    Monkey’s are not “Masters of Their Own Domain“. Just wondering.

  12. #12
    On December 18th, 2007 at 9:16 am, Tennessee Dave said:

    “It shows when you take language away from a human, they end up looking just like monkeys in terms of their performance,”

    If you compare these monkeys to the Dems, isn’t that an insult to the monkeys?
    It would seem that they at least have a memory vs. the Dems. The Dems keep forgetting that the president has told them when he’s going to veto a bill and then seem surprised when he does.

    Go monkeys!

  13. #13
    On December 18th, 2007 at 9:54 am, max said:

    two female macaque monkeys named for U.S. senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein of California

    macaca? hmmm….chanelling George Allen much?

  14. #14
    On December 18th, 2007 at 10:12 am, locomotivebreath1901 said:

    The most ethical congress, evah!!

    This stuff practically writes itself.

    Bottoms up, piglets.

  15. #15
    On December 18th, 2007 at 10:31 am, DocattheAutopsy said:

    The friends I’m sending this story to are going ape over it.

    Seriously bananas.

    They were so grateful I’d gibbon this to them.

    It just goes to show, lemur things change, lemur they stay the same.

    (I hope these don’t get me banned.)

  16. #16
    On December 18th, 2007 at 10:40 am, docflash said:

    No suprise here,they swing from the same vine.Watch out Tarzan

  17. #17
    On December 18th, 2007 at 11:15 am, The Raging Republican said:

    Boxer and Feinstein drink the Kool-Aid

    I think what she meant to say was:

    ‘Boxer and Feinstein drink make the Kool-Aid’

  18. #18
    On December 18th, 2007 at 11:35 am, Radiojoe1470 said:

    Two can play that game, Autopsy.

    This whole thing is quite a howler.

  19. #19
    On December 18th, 2007 at 11:45 am, TexasTiger said:

    Her study pitted the monkey math team of Boxer and Feinstein — two female macaque monkeys named for U.S. senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein of California — with 14 Duke University students.

    If I’m not mistaken…
    Weren’t Boxer and Feinstein (the NC macaques, not the CA macaques) members of the Group of 88 that hounded the Duke lacrosse players?

  20. #20
    On December 18th, 2007 at 11:47 am, Surveyor said:

    And both groups fared about the same.

    I think this part worries me the most.

  21. #21
    On December 18th, 2007 at 12:01 pm, LuxEternam said:

    What’s more interesting is that both the monkey versions of Boxer and Feinstein, and the “human” versions of Boxer and Feinstein have a tendancy to throw their own excrement when they get upset.

  22. #22
    On December 18th, 2007 at 1:11 pm, blues said:

    The macaques didn’t have the (dis)advantage of attending the Liberal school system.Only surprise is that they didn’t do much better,since math is based on logic and common sense.

  23. #23
    On December 18th, 2007 at 1:21 pm, walterc said:

    Now the next test should be comparing them with Columbia students in allowing an opponent to speak freely.

    I’m guessing the monkeys would win that one too.

  24. #24
    On December 18th, 2007 at 5:50 pm, JohnHolliday said:

    Well, since the original B & F believe we all evolved from simians, I suspect that they think the monkeys are just a form of reincarnation, on their way up the evolutionary ladder.

    Just wait, Dennett or Dawkins will claim this “proves” evolution. Yeah, just like Piltdown Man.

    And I live in their stinkin’ State, too! Would someone please just push the button and end the misery?

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