How a 1940s US experiment tried, and failed, to create a ‘super dog’ (opens the source in a new tab)
- Scientists in Maine studied more than 500 puppies of five breeds over 13 years, backed by the Rockefeller Foundation’s Alan Gregg, who believed intelligence was overwhelmingly hereditary.
- No breed proved ‘more intelligent’ overall: each did better on some tests, and temperament shifted with context.
- Pups had a ‘critical period’ from 4 to 12 weeks; isolated pups that missed it grew up untameable, an experiment researchers say would not be allowed today.
- 500+
- puppies studied
- $632,000
- funding, close to $9m today
- 4–12 wks
- critical period for socialising
Why it matters Today’s race for ‘superintelligence’ echoes it: a funder’s thesis, big money, and abilities that may prove more uneven than hoped.
Other side Dogs are bred over generations; AI is engineered and copied in months, so the limits that stopped the super-dog may not apply.
Source:BBC (free to read) ↗