Jan. 31, 2002 by Seth Shostak – Senior Astronomer What does it mean to be intelligent? I get this question a lot, given the fact that “intelligence” is the last word of the SETI acronym. “Is there intelligence on Earth?” wags will ask (and by so doing, make their query relevant). What defines a species as intelligent, and how do SETI researchers decide? SETI folk are mostly interested in alien intelligence, not the brainpower of the local school kids. But investigating terrestrial IQs may help us estimate how often sentient beings evolve elsewhere. To test human intelligence is straightforward, if controversial. But how can we assess the brainpower of other critters? One approach taken by biologists is to compute an “encephalization quotient,” which is […] Read More