This really IS a paradigm shift!  Dolphins have a complex language, each dolphin has a name, already 200 dolphin words have been deciphered, their brains are superior to those of great apes and now scientists in Vancouver have declared them officially to be 'non-human persons'.  Forget aliens and such, we have non-human intelligent species right here on Earth.

According to the article Experts ask: Should they be treated as humans?:

So dolphins are people. Well, ‘non-human persons’ to be more accurate, and as such they deserve to have the same rights and be protected as humans.

That’s the extraordinary conclusion that scientists came to this week. Their claim — made at the world’s biggest science conference, the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Vancouver — has been prompted by the latest findings about the amazing abilities of dolphins and whales.

Studies now show that these cetaceans, as they are technically known, possess the next most impressive brains after humans, even ranking above the great apes.

... Each animal has its own signature whistle which it uses to identify or introduce itself — in effect, its own name. Crucially, this indicated a sense of individuality, and of self-awareness.

...Experts believe that within a generation we will have learned to ‘talk’ to dolphins by decoding their clicks, 200 different types of which have already been identified.

Also read: They're so smart we must treat them as 'non human persons' say scie...