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ALAN ALDA: DO
ANIMALS THINK?
by Sally Stone
“I don’t know how many people
actually sit down on an given day to
csKsider whether animals think or if
they do, do they think the way we do?
But it is a question that has puzzled sci
entists. And, people with pets, or people
who work with or around animals will
tell you that yes, Fido or Fluffy or
Jumbo or Leo does think and does so
very well.
“But,” says Alan Alda, “with scien
tists, it always has to be a matter of
showing the evidence first. And that
includes scientists with pets of their
own who believe they reason things
out, but again, without proof ... Well,
you know how it goes.”
’tAlda added, “But maybe now, we
have some proof. Maybe.”
For years, Alan Alda has hosted
episodes of “Scientific American
Frontiers,” a series which has been run
ning on PBS for almost a decade, and
which is produced in association with
Scientific American Magazine, and
underwritten by GTE Corporation.
On January 20, PBS will air the pro
gram, “Scientific American Frontiers:
Animal Einsteins,” and, as he has in the
past, Alda will host.
(He once told me what he does is not
host the show as much as act as a stand
in for the audience. He said, “As a non
scientist who has always been interest
ed in science, I go to the places where
the story is being produced, and I ask
the questions you might ask if you were
there instead of me. Or maybe I’ll ask a
question you didn’t think of. In any
event, by the time the show is over, I
feel we both have learned something.”)
For “Animal Einsteins,” Alan found
himself watching fascinating experi
ments in which researchers set up vari
ous conditions to see how different ani
mals react, and whether their reactions
by Brad Elson
THE PRINCE OF EGYPT: Bom a
slave. Raised by kings. Chosen to
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... Moses.
“The Prince of Egypt” is an epic
drama of heritage and destiny. The
story of Moses and his passage from
slave to prince to deliverer is one that
Jpas endured for thousands of years,
inspiring generation after generation
with its timeless themes of faith, hope
and freedom.
Dream Work’s first full-length ani
mated feature, “The Prince of Egypt”
stars Vai Kilmer and Ralph,Fiennes.
Respectively as Moses and Raineses,'
Alan Alda
involve the process we call thinking or
reasoning.
“I learned that it’s not as easy as you
might think,” Alda says. “The
researcher has to be careful that she or
he isn’t giving the animals some sort of
signal to get it to react in away that we
might interpret as thinking.”
Alda cited the example of Clever
Hans.
“Actually, we open the program at a
horse stable close to Santa Cruz in
California, and I tell the story of this
horse, Clever Hans, who had become
famous in Germany around the turn of
the century for his apparently astound
ing ability to give answers to arithmetic
questions by tapping his hoof. He cpuld
also say yes and no with his hoof: One
tap for yes, two for no. People were
amazed. No fakery seemed to be
involved. And that was true. No fakery
fvlUwfC IWWW
two brothers raised in a lie and ripped
apart by a secret revealed. The film
also brings together the vocal talents
of Sandra Bullock, Danny Glover,
Jeff Goldblum, Steve Martin, Helen
Mirren, Michelle Pfeiffer, Martin
Short and Patrick Stewart.
Helping to tell the story are six
new songs written by Academy
Award-winning lyricist Stephen
Schwartz (“Pocahontas”) and a score
composed by Academy Award-win
ning composer Hans Simmer (“The
Lion King”). The film also features
the handiwork of more than 350 ani
mators, artists and technicians.
This is a truly magnificent, majes
-7*
down In cinematic history. Don’t miss
was involved. But what a certain pro
fessor discovered was that Hans was
reacting to his audience. He watched
people unconsciously nod their heads
as they counted the hoot taps. When
they stopped nodding, he stopped tap
ping and waited for his reward.”
Wouldn’t that indicate that Hans,
while he might not be able actually to
do math -a not uncommon failing
among many humans - was able to
show that he could turn a subtle per
ception into a treat-getting act with
great success?
“I agree,” Alda says. “But the fact
that this can happen with animals indi
cates the care researchers have to take
to assure that their experiments aren’t
tainted in any ways.”
We’ve been reading for years about
chimpanzees and gorillas who have
learned to use sign language to com
municate with human beings and with
other apes. Does the program deal with
this?
“It most certainly does,” Alda says.
“And what we see may surprise a lot of
people.”
There are those who say that man is
the only creature divinely gifted with
intelligence to reason, and that animals
simply react to instincts. Would the
show, “Animal Einsteins” reinforce
this belief, or would it create some
doubt?
“That’s hard to say,” Alda replies.
“People who are convinced that God
only gave the ability to think to
humans may not feel anything they see
is persuasive enough to make them
change their minds, But as a human
being, it doesn’t bother me at all to
think that God may have shared this
gift, to one degree or another, with our
fellow creatures.”
© 1999 King Features Synd., Inc.
it and be sure to take the kiddies!
LITTLE VOICE: Based on the
Olivier Award-winning London play,
“Little Voice” follows the story of a
young girl who can only express her
self through famous vintage songs.
She doesn’t speak, but she can sing in
the timeless voices of performers like
Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe and
Billie Holliday.
Jane Horrocks (“Absolutely
Fabulous”) brings her acclaimed
stage role to the screen, co-starring
alongside Ewan McGregor
(“Trainspotting”), Academy Award
winner Michael Caine (“Hannah and
Her Sisters”) and Jim Broadbent
(“Bullets Over Broadway”). ,
© 1999 king Features Synd., Inc.
• ». A ■
MUSIC/MOVIERAnNCS
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6. Mighty Joe Young Bill Paxton
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8. Down in the Delta Alfre Woodard
9. A Bug’s Life
10. Shakespeare In Love Gwyneth Paltrow
© 1999 King Features Synd., Inc.
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