Humpback whales have "human" brain cells

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Humpback whales have a type of brain cell seen only in humans, the great apes, and other cetaceans such as dolphins, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

This might mean such whales are more intelligent than they have been given credit for, and suggests the basis for complex brains either evolved more than once, or has gone unused by most species of animals, the researchers said.

The finding may help explain some of the behaviours seen in whales, such as intricate communication skills, the formation of alliances, cooperation, cultural transmission and tool usage, the researchers report in The Anatomical Record.

David Edwards and Greg Wasserstrom
Published: Friday October 26, 2007

Raw Story

The latest offering from satirist Leah Kauffman, the musical mind behind the 'Obama Girl' videos, takes a shot at conservative commentator Ann Coulter. The video, featured in a blog post on in the ABC blog Political Punch, goes after Coulter in a far more serious tone that her previous videos.