Member-only story
About the Smart Fish and Intelligence Measurement
A journalistic retelling of how fish changed the world
(Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction slightly based on real-world news and events)
Recently, the scientific community was surprised by studies in which small fish showed signs of self-awareness and self-recognition. Signs usually associated with some degree of intelligence. Due to the discovery, scientists are debating two major questions: is the test enough proof of self-awareness? and, what does the future of mankind will be in partnership with our water-friends?
Regarding the test, some universities are already employing more advanced mechanisms to test the animal’s brains. A small research group from California have conducted research to allow sea animals to “play” games using a grid of light sources as joystick inputs and a big TV screen with simple games for kids, such as the famous Tetris and Pong. However, the gaming community is protesting that those games are otherwise very complex and surely not for kids.
On the other hand, a psychology research group from Utrecht, in the Netherlands, is discussing the impacts of sentient fish and how does that affect their well-being. Moreover, there are branches of the research on fish therapy that encompasses Freudian-projects (“what’s the…
