Animal Intelligence and the Search for Life Beyond Earth

This is a special virtual event presented by the SETI Institute and the Whale Sanctuary Project

What can animal intelligence tell us about the possibility of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe? And how can the ways we recognize intelligence on our own planet inform how we might interact with extraterrestrial intelligence?

Historically, humanity has believed we were the most advanced form of intelligence. Yet research is showing us there are other types of intelligence, communication systems and even culture. If even bees can count, what can animals with larger and more complex brains, such as whales, teach us? And if intelligence is not unique to humanity, what are the implications for SETI and astrobiology?

Join Nathalie Cabrol, astrobiologist and Director of the Carl Sagan Center and Lori Marino, a neuroscientist and expert in animal behavior and intelligence for a discussion about how animal intelligence is integral to astrobiology. 

The presentation will include a screening of a short video produced by the Whale Sanctuary Project, Whales Without Walls. This special presentation will be moderated by Simon Steel, Senior Director of Education and STEM Programs at the SETI Institute.

June 30 at 2:30 PM PDT. Click here to register.