Good morning,
Our forecast calls for a day of gradual clearing with a high of eighty-two degrees.
Rousseau thought that animals showed simple pity toward each other, and perhaps, after all, he was right. Wired writes about a study of ravens, in story entitled, “Ravens Console Each Other After Fights,” observing that
After ravens see a friend get a beat down, they approach the victim and appear to console it, according to new research.
Orlaith Fraser and her co-author Thomas Bugnyar watched the aftermath of 152 fights over a two year period between 13 hand-reared young adult ravens housed at the Konrad Lorenz Research Station in Austria. What they found was the first evidence for birds consoling one another.
“It’s not a good thing for your partner to be distressed,” Fraser explained. “It’s interesting to see these behaviors in animals other than chimpanzees. It seems to be more ingrained in evolutionary history.”
And there might be a bit of self-interest embedded in the birds’ actions, too. “Maybe if you are involved in a fight they might come and console you,” Fraser said.
Ravens are one species of corvid, a famously smart group of birds, so they are natural study subjects for researchers probing the uniqueness of mammalian behaviors like empathetic consolation. The consolation of fight victims has only been definitely shown in chimpanzees and bonobos. Recent studies show similar behaviors in dogs and wolves, but how consolation works in those animals hasn’t been tested.
(Citation: “Do Ravens Show Consolation? Responses to Distressed Others,” by Orlaith Fraser and Thomas Bugnyar. PLoS one Vol. 5 Iss. 5. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0010605)
Ravens have an august and worthy history in recorded human affairs, too. Ravens are mentioned more than once in scripture: a raven is the first to look for dry land after the flood (Gn 8:7), they serve to feed the prophets (1 Kgs 17:4-6) , God may use them to afflict the wicked (Prv 30:17), and they may not be eaten (Lv 11).
Impressive, isn’t he?
The Wisconsin Historical Society recalls that on this date in 1844, a
Utopian Community [was] Founded Near Ripon
On this date the first settler moved to the Fourierite utopian community in what is now Ripon. This communal society was based upon the teachings of Charles Fourier, a French Socialist, who urged the rebuilding of society from its foundation as the only cure for economic hardship. This especially appealed to those suffering from the 1837 Depression. The communal village was named Ceresco after the goddess of agriculture, Ceres. Also known as the Wisconsin Phalanx, the community thrived for six years, with membership reaching 180 in 1845.
The community officially disbanded in 1850 after many members decided to farm for their own profit. Families gradually left the commune to work and live on their own property. The center of the commune, the “Long House,” remained vacant until the 1930s when people suffering from the Great Depression found shelter and comfort there. Community founder Warren Chase said of the failed community “It was prematurely born, and tried to live before its proper time, and of course, must die and be born again. So it did and here it lies.” [Source: Wisconsin Saints and Sinners by Fred L. Holmes, pg. 94-104]