With ravens, out of sight is not out of mind

(University of Houston) The question of what sets humans apart from other animals is one of the oldest philosophical puzzles. A popular answer is that only humans can understand that others also have minds like their own. But new research suggests that ravens -- birds singled out by many cultures as a symbol of intelligence and wisdom -- share at least some of the human ability to think abstractly about other minds, adapting their behavior by attributing their own perceptions to others.