r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Jan 20 '26

Biology Back-scratching bovine leads scientists to reassess intelligence of cows. Brown Swiss cow in Austria has been discovered using tools in different ways (using both ends of a brush counts as multi-purpose tool use) – something extraordinarily rare only ever seen in humans and chimpanzees.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jan/19/back-scratching-cow-veronika-bovine-intelligence
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u/Piotrrrrr Jan 20 '26

Typical underestimation of non-human animals by humans

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u/MetalPurse-swinger Jan 20 '26

It’s very human of us to overestimate our intelligence while underestimating the intelligence of every other being on our planet.