When my cat looks into the mirror, he has no awareness that he’s looking at himself. Chimpanzees recognize themselves and almost immediately start to use the mirror. Dolphins also recognize themselves and have even been watched by researchers while having sex in front of the mirror (a Bravo reality series can’t be far behind). In Nautilus, Chelsea Wald examines the controversial test for self awareness that is dividing the animal kingdom. Gordon Gallup is the man behind much of the contemporary mirror research and explains the significance of self-recognition: “You have to be aware of yourself in the first place in order to begin to take into account what other people may know, want, or intend to do.” So whatever advances one makes in front of the mirror are ultimately canceled out by the Selfie.

+ And (sort of) related, InFocus has a collection of photos of cats and dogs dressed as people, 100 years ago.