It was thought for the longest time that humans were the only species that could 'speak' -- then came along Washoe and Koko and Alex, and now, Hungarian researchers have written a promising program that could translate the meaning of dogs' barks, and it could applied to other species as well.Yet another indication to revisit and enlarge our moral universe.
It will be fun, at any rate, to play with when it becomes more commercially available... but for folks who want to learn what their pets are saying right now, MSNBC has an old but good article in their Creature Comforts section on animal communication, and it comes with book recommendations for learning more:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19228835/
(Personally, I have a pair of those cats that always freak everyone out, since they come when called, play fetch, and other things that appear to be "too" doglike to be cat-worthy behaviour.)