Even Bugs Have Personality

No it doesn't. Would it make you feel better if they called them introverted or extroverted instead of shy or bold?

Perhaps a better word would be "individualism". Don't worry man, we're not trying to give them voting rights or anything. It's just an interesting study. Can we not get into an ethical debate? Because I can smell it on you already.

No it's not, your car isn't a living creature. You are adding your feelings to this, if you weren't too busy feeling superior then you could see it objectively. Bugs are alive... duh...

Can you read their minds?
...
Then how would you know?
Just because they're vegetables (ie unable to move) it doesn't mean they don't have personality.

Most likely because either a) plants stay rooted in the same spot, so there's no reason why they should show any different personalities at all, or b) they don't have brains, or have something completely different from organics that act similarly to a brain. Most likely a bit of both a and b.

Your analogy is typical, and misled. Comparing fault lines to personality traits is so pointless I don't even know why I bothered to write this after correcting your car analogy, you replaced one bad idea with another but maybe you CAN learn something after all.
Every rock that has the same structure fractures in a similar fashion because the angle between the same 2 faces in all crystals of the same mineral species is constant. This was discovered only this century by the use of x-rays. It is now known that this is because the constituent atoms pack together in a definite and orderly way. Crystals were studied a long time before this was discovered. That IS a matter of structure, congrats! but no one can prove the existence of souls in humans yet, much less rocks. Though the only way we would be able to detect the presence of a a soul in humans is by watching very carefully (with many artificial eyes) to see what leaves when they die. Rocks don't have lives like humans do so it would be impossible to measure their potential for having souls until we learn more about their (potential) life.
Humans ARE freaks of nature. Look at what we know about the rest of the solar system (I'll wait...). What happened on Earth was freakish and weird. We don't look too hard at anything because it tends to ruin our self image. That's why so many people (on this thread, mostly you) argue about how different humans are when compared to other things, whether it's insects, trees, goats, dogs or rocks.
I'm fine with being compared to a shithouse bug (in fact, there's proof they're more evolved than humans, and I'm ok with that too (look up the secnd creature to leave the oceans before you go crazy)), are you?

Anyway, I'll be leaving you alone now, because I'm pretty sure next on the list of retarded comparisons will be a paint roller or something.

Hahaha! Thank you. That really brought a smile to my face. Ok, science-girl, get to work on cloning yourself because the dating scene is lacking what you have.

*blush* ummm I ahh.... Thanks.

If you don't have a brain, your body is basically a useless hunk of flesh waiting to be eaten. Same goes for bugs and other animals and insects.

Regardless of lifespan, an individual organism has to make choices in its life that come down to two basic choices: go forth into the world confidently, or be cautious of your surrounding? Either personality is both positive and negative in certain aspects, and these differences can either allow your DNA to carry on, or win a Darwinism award.

Liar... I can read your other comments, you know?

I concur with all of your points, Al (Admittedly, I almost asked whether minerals really did come in "species," but I figured you knew that answer a hell of a lot better than I did, and I didn't want you to smack me on the forehead. Again.)

As I read your post, I started to think about all of the things that humans do that are really no different from virtually every other species on the planet (except, perhaps, minerals...but no, I am NOT going there). For example, like other mammals we respirate. Our blood circulates. Our organs process and filter and secrete according to their particular function in the body. We process nutrients. We replenish our cells with oxygen, nutrients and fluids. We process and excrete waste. We produce eggs and the sperm to fertilize them, and we engage in sexual intercourse, either for the purposes of reproduction or...not. We slough off dead cells. Our senses cause us to react to stimuli.

The list goes on, but the point is that a huge amount of activities in which humans engage tend to be ignored in such discussions because they fall under the categories of "automatic" (like breathing), "passive response" (turning one's head to seek the cause of an annoying sound or blinking one's eyes to replenish the fluid on their surfaces) or simply meeting one's natural needs (eating, sleeping, peeing, etc.). But I would submit that together they form the vast majority of "the stuff humans do," and that stuff is not in any significant way different from what all of the other creatures on the planet do.

Hmmmm. More Als. Yes, that does sound intriguing. Let me know if you need any help looking into that...

This isn't talking about advanced personalities here; these are basic personalities they're talking about, the same kind of personalities our early ancestors would have shared.

Insect abuse at least. I hope. I love bugs.

-V'd That's just retarded, who would pay to train bugs to read? You would have to do that first you know, and if we're going to fight for THOSE kinds of animal rights I'd say the animal suffrage movement should start with dolphins. But that's just my humble opinion.

Oh, you're getting predictable. Haha. I didn't even see this post when I commented about voting rights above.

*sigh* Fine teaching them the concept of human language would have to come first or translating pheromones (which they are still trying to do but last I heard they only had 2 letters of the ant alphabet translated).
I did say the dolphin bit was pure opinion. It doesn't have to make sense. I still stand by it, they are the smartest creatures in the world, I think we could benefit greatly by their vote.

THAT'S A GREAT IDEA!!! I'm going to start organizing a protest right away (I'll give you the credit)!
You're allowed to have opinions, it's not going to change mine but whatever.

Sure! But I should warn you, I embezzle.

hehe I'll call babies "it" when I can't tell their gender. Pisses the mother off but what else am I supposed to call it?

So breeding insects in captivity so scientists can "classify them" and you can get your jollies off...disgusting. Next you'll be justifying wearing fur if they name the seal before they bludgeon it. WHO IS PAYING YOU OFF?!? WHAT BIG PHARMA/PRO-VIVISECTION COMPANY ARE YOU FRONTING FOR?!? HYPOCRITE!!!

ummm If you read the article you would have seen they were "collected... from wild populations in Debrecen, Hungary".
Please don't just react to someone's comment.

Yeah, really...Wow...

Haha, I have a habit of doing that too. And it's really funny how fast the parents react to it. Jeez, I'd get nicer looks if I were to pull a knife on them!

Considering anumalia-libero's extremely strict stance against animal testing, I just found it absolutely hilarious that all it takes for her to support animal testing (especially behavior testing since that has historically been the avenue of the most worst cases of animal abuse in the name of science) is to use the proper pronouns so that she can humanize them. I highly doubt she would agree to the same conditions if it were an ape or a dolphin.

But yes...I agree...I should have noticed "collected from the wild".

Hey...your a pretty entertaining contributor and I fully support your right to have you views and voice them. I don't agree with them, but I do appreciate that you share them.