Scientific American - February 2019

DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONTIERS OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE

JOIN THE CONVERSATION ONLINE Visit 2_w²íˆ_Ĉ¬wޝ_C²on Facebook and Twitter

INSIDE

• A camera inspired by a sharp-eyed shrimp

• An algorithm that knows when someone

is lying to the police

_žäš`D³ßx` ̧³žąxšø­D³…D`xäž³Çß ̧‰§x

_3D³lžä­Dlx ̧…xĀǧ ̧lž³äîDßäîø†

GETTY IMAGES

ANIMAL COGNITION

Killer

Personality

Despite evolving separately,

orcas and chimpanzees

have strikingly similar

personality traits

Anybody who has taken an undergradu-

DîxÇäā`š ̧§ ̧ā` ̧øßäx ̧߉§§xl ̧øî ̧³x ̧…

îš ̧äx ̧³§ž³xîxäîäžäÇß ̧UDU§ā…D­ž§žDßÿžîš

îšxÙUž‰þxÚÇxßä ̧³D§žîāîßDžîäi ̧Çx³³xääj

conscientiousness, extraversion, agree-

ableness and neuroticism. For example,

ž…ā ̧øžlx³îž… āÿžîšîšxäîDîx­x³îÙîD§¦

î ̧D§ ̧î ̧…lž†xßx³îÇx ̧ǧxDîÇDß îžxäjÚā ̧ø

might score high on extraversion. An indi-

þžløD§ÜäÇxßä ̧³D§žîāžäîš ̧øšîî ̧Ux…Džß§ā

stable by adulthood, and the idea that it

`D³Ux­xDäøßxlUā¥øäîDšD³l…ø§ ̧……D`-

tors goes back at least a century.

But humans are not the only species

ÿš ̧äxÇxßä ̧³D§žîžxä`D³UxÔøD³îž‰xlD§ ̧³

these lines; caregivers in zoos, sanctuaries

and other captive environments commonly

DääxääîšxÇxßä ̧³D§žîžxä ̧…D³ž­D§äjUDäxl

on months or years spent observing and

ž³îxßD`ÿžîšîšx­Í5šxäÇx`ž‰`äþDß ā

D­ ̧³äÇx`žxäɅ ̧ßxĀD­Ç§xj³xÿîä`D³Ux

ä` ̧ßxl… ̧ßîšxžß§žUžlž³ ̧øä³xääD³ląxUßD

‰³`šxäD³lߚxäøä­D`DÔøxä… ̧ßU ̧§l³xääÊj

but the underlying notion that personality

`D³Uxlxä`ߞUxlUāDä­D§§äxî ̧……D`î ̧ßä

ßx­Dž³äîšxäD­xÍ% ̧ÿßxäxDß`šäøxäîä

îšDîD³ž­D§äDäÿžlx§ālžþxߐx³îDä`šž­-

ÇD³ąxxäD³l¦ž§§xßÿšD§xäšDþxäøßÇߞ䞳§ā

䞭ž§DßÇxßä ̧³D§žîāÇß ̧‰§xäÍ

© 2019 Scientific American