A pet dog wandering on a camera

Science has long been fascinated with animals' abilities to recognize themselves in mirrors. Scientists, who study animal cognition, were able to come up with a special test that allows us to measure this hard-to-answer question. In 1970, a specific test called a mirror self-recognition test was created. Since its inception, it has been considered the gold standard for measuring which animals possess self-awareness. The original version of the test has the experimenter place a colored, but completely odorless dye somewhere on the animal's body. They are then placed in front of a mirror and if the animals pick, point, or looks at the spot of colored dye in some fashion, it suggests they are able to self-recognize.

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