What Do Animals Think?		

There are situations in our lives as pet owners or simply as pet lovers, and shows we saw on TV or articles we've read about that makes us wonder "can animals really think?" or "what are they thinking about?". There are some evidences that can prove animals don't think of anything else but food and sleep. But however there are also evidences that show that they also possess concern for what's happening around them, the ability to solve simple obstacles we thought they can't and not only to imitate but understand our language (as in the case of parrots).

There is a story of a monkey who was taught to use a sign language system for limited number of words. One time upon seeing a swan on a river, it gestured two sign languages which meant "water bird ". Did the monkey understand the meaning of the combination of words he formed to relate to the swan?

At a zoo there is a case of a monkey who outsmarted it's caretaker. Once he was feeding the monkey in it's cage with orange fruit. He slipped the first orange into the cage, but then the monkey made an unusual reaction, It simply looked straight through him as if it didn't saw the orange and as if asking for his food. Seeing this reaction, the caretaker rolled another one into the cage. The monkey, after obtaining it revealed the first orange which it hid in it's other hand. The next day as he was feeding it again the monkey exactly did the same trick and amazingly so did the other monkey next to it's cage.

There are also lots of stories we hear or read about telling about unusual animal behavior or heroism. Tales of animals saving peoples lives. And we also see them being trained to do different things like dogs to point out bomb plantations or as guide for the blind.

One example was a story of a cat who saved it's owners from sudden as well as from a mysterious death. There was this couple whom had suddenly become ill due to an unknown reason. They were adviced to stay home but it only worsened their health. At a certain occasion, their pet cat begun to act very unusually as if asking it's owners to follow it. It pointed out a certain spot in their background where it halted. As if convinced by their cat's unusual action, they called for somebody to investigate on the site. It was then that they discovered that gas was puffing in that spot, a flammable gas that could have exploded any time sooner. Contact with this gas is also responsible for the couples' unknown illness.

So from all of these evidences we can jump to a conclusion that animals do possess intelligence. And for that reason we should learn to respect them and take care of them. After all we are the caretaker of this planet and every living creature in it, animals or plant alike.

								- James C.F.
          	  		  			(stories based on Readers Digest. ) 

In 1846, two specimens of the desert snail Eremina desertorum were presented to the British museum (Natural History) as dead exhibits. They were glued on a small tablet and placed on display. Four years later, in March 1850, the Museum staff, suspecting that one of the snails was still alive, removed it from the tablet and placed it in tepid water. The snail moved and later began to feed. This hardy little creature lived for further two years before it fell into a torpor And died.

Loudest animal sound

The low-frequency pulses made by blue whales and fin whales when communicating with each other have been measured at up to 188 decibels, making them the loudest sounds emitted by any living source. They have been detected, using specialist equipment, 850 km 530 miles away.

Strongest animal

In proportion to their size, the strongest animals are the larger beetles of the family Scarabaeidae, which are found mainly in the tropics. In tests carried out on a rhinoceros beetle, it was found to support 850 times it's own weight on it's back, As a comparison, in a trestle lift a human can support 17 times his own body weight.

Most dangerous animal

The malarial parasites of the genus Plasmodium, carried by mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles, have, excluding wars and accidents, probably been responsible for half of all human deaths since the Stone Age.

Most poisonous animal

The brightly-coloured poison arrow frogs (Dendrobates and Phyllobates) of South and Central America secrete some of the most deadly biological toxins known to man.

			Prototypes and Gadgets		

Jewelry that speaks telephone A prototype that looks like a silver jewelry but functions as a cellphone. The device is composed of a ring that will blink of light when you have an incoming call, a watch that will display the caller's number with a button to answer the call, the earrings serve as earphones to hear the caller's voice and a necklace which has a miniature microphone to speak.

Music Video It's not a gadget that plays your favorite Music Videos, but almost. Nearly the size of a walkman, this new gadget by Samsung called Photo Yepp MP3 lets you view images in a two inch LCD (Liquified Crystal Display ) screen while playing your favorite song. As for our MTVs we'll just have to wait until it's memory capacity gets a whole bigger.

Cell Remote The problem with remote controls is that we seldom end up aiming the component's remote to the television. Thus, STMicroelectronics and Digital Mobility devised a new chip set that can turn a WAP (Wireless Access Prototype) cellphone into an all around remote. The chips, through the Bluetooth wireless technology, can then let you control any appliances at your house with your phone.

				 - source: ASIAWEEK			 

				The Gift		

				 - source:Unknown