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Instincts, crossing into the paranormal?

How do you know it was the same pidgeon?
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His injury was still visible, and his personality was still the same (no other bird around the office had ever been so friendly). But really, I'm sure that kind of thing happens all the time...the homing ability of some birds is well known...I wasn't trying to say this occurence was anything extraordinary.
 
I am no animal expert, and maybe I just don't "get" it, but to me the instincts of animals are really amazing. Birds have little tiny pea brains...you would think they'd go around crashing into buildings, or they'd forget to migrate. But they never do.
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I think the above misconception shows the fundamental problem here. A "pea size" brain is actually quite huge, especially in relation to the size of the bird. Think about what termites or bees can do with even smaller cognitive systems - they can swarm, communicate, and execute complex sequences of behavior.

Now, its been shown that at least in bees genes control a lot of these behaviors - turn off one gene, and you turn off one part of some behavior.

Heck, even viruses, which aren't even considered alive, engage in very complex behaviors.

I just read a really good analogy in a book: A single cell contains as many parts as a Boeing 777. Given this insane level of complexity at even the cellular level, it is utterly unnecessary to posit any sort of paranormal effect as an explanation or even a component of what pigeons do.
 
I don't think there is anything "paranormal" about what birds do. But using magnetic fields to navigate? That might be a solid scientific explanation, but it's also pretty amazing stuff.

So, theoretically, what if someone was dowsing by way of magnetic fields? Or reading minds by picking up another person's brain waves?

Couldn't that kind of stuff win the million dollar challenge? And, are those theoretical abilities really all that far from what birds do with their little pea brains?
 
Stereolab said:
Do we have instincts that we can't tap into because our normal thought processes shut them out? Are there people that really do have powerful, reliable instincts? And could someone develop the instinct to read minds or something?
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Walking is one example - we are born with the instinctual capacity to walk, just like any other animal, even if we lack the physical ability. We forcibly forget and re-learn, because often times instincts are not optimal means.

Empathy can get to apparent mind-reading at times. I've been known to answer questions before they are asked. That's nothing more than analyzing a variety of factors - word choice, history of interaction, facial features, hand movements, vocal inflection and understandings involving human nature all give away a part of what you are thinking.

It can certainly be very impressive but it's not paranormal.

So, theoretically, what if someone was dowsing by way of magnetic fields? Or reading minds by picking up another person's brain waves?
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Supposedly we have the genes for sensing magnetic waves, but they have long since been deactivated. I don't think it'd be very useful for dowsing though (at least for non ferromagnetic substances), much less mind reading.
 
Stereolab said:
I don't think there is anything "paranormal" about what birds do. But using magnetic fields to navigate? That might be a solid scientific explanation, but it's also pretty amazing stuff.

So, theoretically, what if someone was dowsing by way of magnetic fields? Or reading minds by picking up another person's brain waves?

Couldn't that kind of stuff win the million dollar challenge? And, are those theoretical abilities really all that far from what birds do with their little pea brains?
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The difference is that the homing ability of pigeons can be conclusively demonstrated. Paranormal abilities such as dowsing or mind reading have no credible eveidence to support them.
You can speculate about mechanisms all you want, but it's pointless if there's no effect in the first place.
 
Awww...I hope my little pigeon friend wasn't one of the ones getting their olfactory nerves cut and stuff.

But thanks for the info :)
 
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