Crafty Crows - Christian Rutz - Radcliffe Institute

Discover the fascinating world of tool-using crows in this 53-minute lecture from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. Explore how New Caledonian crows, despite having a brain the size of a walnut, have evolved to create and use complex tools. Learn about the research conducted by Christian Rutz, a professor of biology at the University of St Andrews and the 2019-2020 Grass Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute. Delve into topics such as the evolution of tool use, comparisons with other species like the Galapagos woodpecker, and the implications of this research for understanding human evolution and cognition. Gain insights into the research process, including grant applications and fieldwork challenges. Uncover the importance of safety from predators in the development of tool use and consider the broader implications of this research for our understanding of intelligence in the animal kingdom.