{
  "id": 313526,
  "title": "Dodos probably weren't as stupid as historians made them out to be: new research",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/dodos-probably-werent-as-stupid-as-historians-made-them-out-to-be-new",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-08T14:00:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-08-dodos-werent-stupid-historians.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "New research suggests that the dodo, once thought to be a foolish and unintelligent bird, may have possessed cognitive abilities comparable to modern pigeons. The dodo, a flightless bird native to Mauritius, went extinct within three decades of human arrival. Historically, it has been depicted as naive prey that was easily hunted by sailors. However, this portrayal has been challenged by a new study that analyzed the dodo's brain structure. Using high-resolution CT scans of three dodo skulls, scientists found that the dodo's forebrain, responsible for cognition and memory, was proportionate to other pigeons. This indicates that the dodo was not less intelligent than its living relatives. The study also highlights that the dodo's unusual small optic lobes suggest adaptation to low-light vision and possible crepuscular or nocturnal behavior. This adaptation could have been driven by competition for food resources with giant tortoises on the island, as the dodo may have shifted its activity to dawn, dusk, or nighttime to avoid predation.",
  "summary": "The dodo has been extinct for more than 300 years, wiped out within decades of humans arriving on its home island of Mauritius, but it lives on in the public imagination.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Conversation AU",
        "title": "Dodos probably weren’t as stupid as historians made them out to be: new research",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/dodos-probably-werent-as-stupid-as-historians-made-them-out-to-be-new",
        "published": "2026-08-05T20:13:15.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}