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Are Dolphins Smarter Than Humans?

This Science Minute was researched and written by Julian T., of Ithaca, NY.

Some scientists think that our first encounter with other creatures of advanced intelligence may be with... dolphins! Their research focuses on dolphins' ability to use sound to communicate and navigate.

Dolphins can use sound to determine the size and shape of an object. They can even "see" inside objects using sound! Some researchers believe that dolphins perceive a three-dimensional audio world.

Dolphin brains devote a lot more space to sound perception than human brains do - 10 times as much! Overall, dolphin brains are 40% larger than human brains and have a similar number of wrinkles, suggesting that they are very intelligent.

Maybe this is why dolphins always seem to be smiling!