Capsule Reviews

Are Dolphins Really Smart?, Newton's Football, Outsider Scientists, and We Are Our Brains

| 3 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
3:00
Share

By Justin Gregg
Oxford University Press, December 2013

Marine biologist Justin Gregg really loves dolphins. He loves the cetaceans so much that he’s devoted his career to studying the fascinating ways in which they communicate. But he’s not so enamored that he’s afraid to demystify some of the prevalent myths that surround dolphins and their apparently intelligent ways.

The scientific evidence, argues Gregg in Are Dolphins Really Smart?, is ample enough to evoke a healthy fascination and respect for the marine mammals’ cognitive capabilities. After all, research has shown that dolphins form complex social hierarchies, transmit behaviors through populations via nongenetic means, display nuanced and representative vocal patterns, and in some populations, exhibit rudimentary tool use. Eschewing the pervasive and nonscientific popular opinions regarding dolphin ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Keywords

Meet the Author

  • Bob Grant

    From 2017 to 2022, Bob Grant was Editor in Chief of The Scientist, where he started in 2007 as a Staff Writer.

Published In

Share
Image of a woman in a microbiology lab whose hair is caught on fire from a Bunsen burner.
April 1, 2025, Issue 1

Bunsen Burners and Bad Hair Days

Lab safety rules dictate that one must tie back long hair. Rosemarie Hansen learned the hard way when an open flame turned her locks into a lesson.

View this Issue
Conceptual image of biochemical laboratory sample preparation showing glassware and chemical formulas in the foreground and a scientist holding a pipette in the background.

Taking the Guesswork Out of Quality Control Standards

sartorius logo
An illustration of PFAS bubbles in front of a blue sky with clouds.

PFAS: The Forever Chemicals

sartorius logo
Unlocking the Unattainable in Gene Construction

Unlocking the Unattainable in Gene Construction

dna-script-primarylogo-digital
Concept illustration of acoustic waves and ripples.

Comparing Analytical Solutions for High-Throughput Drug Discovery

sciex

Products

Green Cooling

Thermo Scientific™ Centrifuges with GreenCool Technology

Thermo Fisher Logo
Singleron Avatar

Singleron Biotechnologies and Hamilton Bonaduz AG Announce the Launch of Tensor to Advance Single Cell Sequencing Automation

Zymo Research Logo

Zymo Research Launches Research Grant to Empower Mapping the RNome

Magid Haddouchi, PhD, CCO

Cytosurge Appoints Magid Haddouchi as Chief Commercial Officer