Primatologist Frans de Waal's bestseller challenges our human-centric view of intelligence. Featuring elephants recognizing languages and octopuses using tools, this award-winning exploration asks: Are we measuring animal cognition all wrong? Tricia Wang calls it revolutionary for evolutionary understanding.
Frans de Waal (1948–2024) was a world-renowned primatologist and *New York Times* bestselling author of *Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?*, a groundbreaking exploration of animal cognition and intelligence. A Dutch-American ethologist and professor at Emory University’s Yerkes National Primate Research Center, de Waal revolutionized understanding of primate behavior through decades of research on chimpanzees, bonobos, and capuchin monkeys. His work bridged biology and psychology, examining themes of empathy, morality, and social dynamics across species. Known for accessible science writing, de Waal authored 16 translated books, including *Chimpanzee Politics* (required reading for U.S. politicians) and *Mama’s Last Hug*, which popularized animal emotion studies. His TED Talks on primate behavior have garnered millions of views, while his research appeared in *Science*, *Nature*, and *Scientific American*. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, de Waal received the NAT Award for advancing public understanding of evolutionary biology. Translated into 20 languages, *Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?* cemented his legacy as one of the most influential science communicators of the 21st century.
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