Tag Archives: intelligence

The Intelligent Spider

I tend to think of insects as simple creatures. Single-minded, like an ant scurrying over a huge obstacle because that’s where the trail goes and the idea of taking an easier path around isn’t there. Instinctive, like that fight or flight response that kicks in when faced with danger. But I may need to rethink that. Maybe they’re not as simple as I think they are. There’s a spider that lives on my back patio. I haven’t gotten close enough to see what kind it is, or even what color. It’s just a spider. Not too big, but big enough … Continue reading →

The Smartest Species

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I saw a headline on MSN about the smartest animal species… of course I had to click that link! The article compared signs of human intelligence — like making tools, solving problems, self-awareness, and more — with animal behaviors. Humans are the top of the list of the smartest species (at least as far as we know). Next on the list of smartest animals came chimpanzees. Humans and chimps share a lot of the same genomes — and chimp behavior demonstrates that some of that is shared intelligence. Among documented intelligent behaviors in chimps are: Making and using tools Hunting … Continue reading →

Do We Always Have to Be Brilliant and Amazing?

The truth is, I have plenty of days in my home business when I just get by. I know that I have cautioned against complacency and offered advice for ways to get energized and stay motivated, but a person just cannot sustain that high level of energy forever–at least this person can’t. Sure, I have plenty of days where everything comes together and I am really on my “A” game–but there are also those days where I feel neither brilliant, nor amazing, but I know I still need to show up and work… One of the good things about getting … Continue reading →

Phenomenon (1996)

John Travolta stars in “Phenomenon” as George Malley, an auto mechanic who has taken up gardening as a hobby. His life is simple and uncomplicated, and so is he. While not exactly dumb, he’s not a genius either. His love interest is Lace (Kyra Sedgwick) a single mother of two cute kids who has been burned by men in the past and doesn’t want to get involved again. George has no intention of giving up easily, however. When Lace brings her handcrafted chairs to his shop for people to buy, he asks her out, only to be turned down time … Continue reading →

Spring Babies Less Intelligent?

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I am reading the current headlines in the baby world with much interest as all of my children were born in the spring. From March to June our family is full of birthdays. Apparently, there is a marked difference in IQ between those born in let’s say. . .January vs. those babies born in the spring. At first, I thought this had to be some kind of half done research project that merely suggested the possibility of less intelligent spring babies. . .but not so. The recently published study, done by Indiana University School of Medicine, studied 1.5 million babies. … Continue reading →

The Baby Week in Review November 4 – 10

This was a light week here in the Baby Blog; I’ve been preoccupied elsewhere and my regular writing companion here, Valorie Delp, will only be guesting from time to time now. In the meanwhile, if you want to check on her and what’s going on, take a look over atthe Home Schooling Blog, Valorie is a great writer and she has a lot of interesting things to say. In the meanwhile, this last week, we took a good look at The Best of October in the Baby Blog and the series that Valorie did in October titled The Inner Workings … Continue reading →

Music to your ears (and brain)

Would you be interested in increasing your child’s literacy skills, memory function, mathematical ability, and general intelligence level? Children who take music lessons and who practice regularly have been shown to demonstrate advanced brain development as compared to those who did not. This phenomenon is apparent even in children with poor to average musical ability. Recent studies have shown that learning a musical instrument will significantly improve brain development in young children, so much so that music should be prioritized to be a fundamental core subject of study for children of all ages. Researchers at the Rotman Research Institute at … Continue reading →

What does IQ really mean?

We’ve all heard of the term IQ (or Intelligence Quotient). But what does it really represent and how significant is your or your child’s score is an IQ test? What does it really mean to have a low, moderate, or high IQ? A standard IQ test is designed to measure a person’s performance relative to their peers, most commonly, their age group. This is particularly the case with children and adolescents. The average IQ has been nominated at 100 points, with roughly half of the population falling within the 90 to 110 range. Intelligence tests have changed over the last … Continue reading →

Does your man have the “Stupid Gene?”

Ever secretly suspected that women are smarter than men? Ever wondered why there are whole pages in women’s magazines devoted to the silly things that men do? One man has now lifted the lid on Secret Men’s Business: the fact that some men actually possess The Stupid Gene. Read on…. Scientists have long been studying the elements of intelligence, and now with the advent of gene mapping and DNA studies, we are rapidly adding to our knowledge base about all aspects of the human body and how it works. But the brain is the final frontier and now scientists are … Continue reading →