Phil speaks with Scarlett Howard, a Research Fellow at Monash University, about why researchers study seemingly “ecologically irrelevant” animal intelligence—like goldfish driving or bees pulling strings.

Howard argues these unusual tasks help us understand cognitive limits, evolutionary development, and inspire bio-tech innovations.

Even if the tasks appear irrelevant, they reveal how animals adapt, learn, and solve problems in changing environments, and may not be so irrelevant after all.

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