From Felix Tymcik:

Re: What? Where? When? Some animals may know (Aug. 12): generally the opinion that a being cannot think because it cannot express itself in an understandable for us way is egocentric – it rather shows our own ignorance than the animals qualities. It would never come to my mind that this little bug under my shoe didn’t mind to be squashed. I can see a kind of – comparable to ours primitive – intelligence, in flies, rodents, fish and whatever crawls, swims and flies around us. There is certainly not much philosophy behind their thoughts, but they feel and are aware of their own existence, see the world from their very own viewpoint, according to their genetic programme (basic conditions=karma).

It is nice to see science getting closer to that conviction, leading to compassion. Add thoughts of parallel universes (beginningless continuity), the insight of meditation and you have the fundament for the principles of Mahayana Buddhism.