An age-old argument asks “Are women smarter than men?”

Well, some researchers may have answered the question in dogs. They found that female dogs were more observant than male ones. When a small ball was rolled behind a screen, but then a large ball rolled out, female dogs tended to stare at the ball longer than male dogs. This suggests that the girls noticed that the ball was larger or had “grown,” whereas the boys didn’t.

This difference in perception is not driven by hormones and may be hardwired into the canine brain. It’s possible that maternal instincts and the need to nurture offspring make females more observant.

Of course, it’s also possible that the male dogs noticed but didn’t care. Perhaps if the tests had involved giant treats instead of tennis balls, the boys would have paid a little more attention.