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As we age‚ the ways that we sense the world around us start to change with our bodies. Our senses of taste‚ smell‚ hearing‚ and sight become less sharp. Now‚ new research has shown that even our perception of color dims over time.Researchers from University College London (UCL) recently compared how the pupils of younger and older people reacted to colors in the environment.The team recruited a small sample of 17 young adults (average age was 27.7 years) and 20 healthy older adults (with an average age of 64.4). The participants were placed in a blackout room where they had the diameter of their pupils measured by a highly sensitive eye tracking camera while they were shown 26 different colors‚ each for five seconds.The colors shown included various shades – including dark‚ muted‚ saturated‚ and light – of magenta‚ blue‚ green‚ yellow‚ and red. Participants were also shown two shades of orange and four greyscale colors.When we see color‚ our pupils constrict in response to any changes in its lightness or chroma (colorfulness). Usually this is difficult to observe in an individual‚ but the tracking camera used by the team‚ known as a pupillometer‚ was capable of recording changes in pupil diameter at 1‚000 times per second.During their analysis‚ the team found that the pupil diameter of healthy older people constricted less in response to color chroma compared with their younger counterparts. This was particularly apparent for green and magenta hues. However‚ both sets of participants had similar responses to the “lightness” of a color shade.“Our pupillometry data suggest that we become physiologically less sensitive to the colorfulness of our environment as we age‚” the authors write. “These findings complement earlier behavioral research which showed that older adults perceive surface colors as less chromatic (colorful) than young adults.”“We therefore propose that colors fade with age‚ and that we become specifically less sensitive to the relative Green or Magenta saturation level of colors. Our findings show no reduced pupil responses to relative Blue saturation level of colors.”According to a statement from the lead author‚ Dr Janneke van Leeuwen‚ “This work brings into question the long-held belief among scientists that color perception remains relatively constant across the lifespan‚ and suggests instead that colors slowly fade as we age.”Dr van Leeuwen added‚  “Our findings might also help explain why our color preferences may alter as we age – and why at least some older people may prefer to dress in bold colors.”The team believe that‚ as we get older‚ there is a decline in our body’s sensitivity to color’s saturation levels within the primary visual cortex‚ the part of the brain that receives‚ integrates and processes visual information communicated to it from the retinas.In previous work‚ a rare form of dementia‚ called posterior cortical atrophy (PCA)‚ was found to share this feature. In PCA‚ there is are noticeable difficulties and abnormalities in color perception which could come from a signature decline in the brain’s sensitivity to certain color tones – again‚ green and magenta – in the primary visual cortex and its associated networks.“Our findings could have wide implications for how we adapt fashion‚ décor and other colour ‘spaces’ for older people‚ and potentially even for our understanding of diseases of the ageing brain‚ such as dementia‚” Professor Jason Warren added.“People with dementia can show changes in colour preferences and other symptoms relating to the visual brain – to interpret these correctly‚ we first need to gauge the effects of healthy ageing on colour perception. Further research is therefore needed to delineate the functional neuroanatomy of our findings‚ as higher cortical areas might also be involved.”The paper is published in Scientific Reports.

Hybrid hogs — a genetic blend of wild boars and domestic pigs — rocked up in Canadian farms around 30 years ago in an attempt to spice up the country’s livestock produce. Over the past three decades‚ countless numbers of them have escaped and bred like crazy‚ earning themselves the title of the most prolific invasive mammal in Canada.The wild pigs are the descendants of domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus)‚ Eurasian wild boar (S. scrofa scrofa)‚ or hybrids of the two. As their name suggests‚ Eurasian wild boars and their domesticated subspecies are not native to North America but were introduced by European settlers in the 16th century. Over the next four centuries‚ many more were introduced into parts of the US and Canada for sport hunting‚ before being let loose into the wild. The problem of wild pigs truly took off in the late 1980s and early '90s when farmers started to domesticate boar hybrids to diversify Canada's livestock production. Taking inspiration from Europe‚ farmers would typically breed male wild boars with female domestic pigs‚ aiming to create an “Iron Age pig” that had similar qualities as early livestock that were first domesticated by humans in ancient times. The resulting pigs were quite remarkable: they were super-smart‚ large‚ purportedly delicious‚ and perfectly suited for the harsh Canadian winters. However‚ the market for boar pork delicacies slumped‚ so herds of the hybrids were let loose into the wild. Many more escaped their captivity using their keen senses and intelligence. They proved to be a formidably invasive species. The wild pigs hunted native animals‚ such as turkeys and game birds‚ and preyed on young livestock like lambs‚ kids‚ and calves. Simultaneously‚ they would strip the land of berries‚ roots‚ bark‚ and any form of vegetation‚ leaving little for grazing animals and black bears. On top of that‚ wild pigs are the hosts of over 30 significant viral and bacterial pathogens‚ as well as more than 37 species of parasites‚ which can pose a threat to humans and other animals. Two maps show the growth of wild pig populations in Canada between 1990-2000 compared to 2011-2017.Image credit: University of SaskatchewaAs prolific breeders with a lack of natural predators‚ their numbers were able to boom rapidly. A 2019 study found that the wild pig population in Canada was increasing by 9 percent a year. As per the research‚ the wild pigs command a range of over 750‚000 square kilometers (289‚576 square miles)‚ which has increased by 88‚000 square kilometers (33‚976 square miles) per year over the last decade.“Wild pigs are ecological train wrecks. They are prolific breeders making them an extremely successful invasive species‚” said study author Ruth Aschim in a statement at the time.“The growing wild pig population is not an ecological disaster waiting to happen—it is already happening‚” added Ryan Brook‚ lead researcher for the Canadian Wild Pig Project.“This is a rapidly emerging crisis."Some provinces of Canada have taken action against the invasion. As of January 1‚ 2024‚ the importation‚ possession‚ transport‚ propagation‚ buying‚ selling‚ and trading of live Eurasian wild boar and their hybrids is banned in Ontario‚ according to the local government. This includes any animal that is genetically greater than 25 percent Eurasian wild boar. Over in Alberta‚ provincial governments have rolled out a program for the public to report sightings of feral pigs and the damage they have left behind. Before this‚ the province ran an initiative where hunters could turn in a set of wild boar ears and receive a $50 bounty – but the plan backfired. “What happens is if a hunter goes in and removes one or two individuals‚ the remaining pigs learn from that experience to avoid humans. They will avoid being hunted or trapped by humans – they’ll go nocturnal‚ they’ll disperse‚” Megan Evans‚ executive director of the Alberta Invasive Species Council‚ said in 2021.“These are really smart animals‚ we all know how smart pigs are and these are wild boar‚ so they are smarter than domestic pigs. And they will actually teach (those behaviours) to their offspring‚” noted Evans. Canada’s pig problem still squeals on‚ but they are not alone in their woes. A recent report estimated that there are over 37‚000 invasive species worldwide‚ with 200 new ones recorded each year. Many of them present a serious danger to wildlife‚ human health‚ and food security – and just like Canada’s feral hogs‚ there are no easy solutions.

Using a new analytical technique‚ scientists have been able to study brain images from more than 6‚000 children to identify connectivity patterns that are common to people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).Most of our behaviors are controlled by coordinated communication between neurons in different areas of the brain. Neuroscientists can get a sense of how the regions of the brain orchestrate complex functions by observing neural activity in a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scan.“Resting state” means exactly what it sounds like – these scans are carried out while the subject is at rest‚ not being asked to perform a particular cognitive task or think any particular thoughts. Assuming you’re not claustrophobic‚ and don’t mind keeping perfectly still‚ it can be a fairly pleasurable experience. The data derived from rs-fMRI scans is invaluable to scientists studying a whole range of neurological disorders and conditions. By comparing scans from individuals with conditions like ADHD‚ for example‚ with those of neurotypical people‚ it’s hoped we’ll be able to identify patterns that can explain some of the features of these conditions.However‚ this type of research into ADHD has so far been hindered by small sample sizes and inconsistent methods‚ so it’s been difficult to draw any firm conclusions. A recent study led by Michael Mooney at Oregon Health &; Science University sought to change all that.Using several large-scale datasets‚ the team developed a new way of analyzing imaging data covering broader areas of the brain than ever before. They called this a polyneuro score (PNRS). “Our findings demonstrate a robust association between brain-wide connectivity patterns (PNRS) and 554 ADHD symptoms in two independent cohorts‚” they explain in their paper.The authors go on to explain how their approach could be used to glean better insights from even small datasets‚ and could also be used to identify mechanisms that may be shared across different neurological and psychiatric conditions – for example‚ could it be the case that an ADHD-typical PNRS is predictive of depression symptoms? This could help identify patients at risk of comorbidities.ADHD diagnoses are on the up and we’re learning more about the condition every day‚ but there are still some significant gaps in our knowledge about the underlying neurobiology. Collecting lots of imaging data is only one piece of the puzzle – you also need ways to use that data that answer the questions you have. The authors of this study hope their methods will make that more achievable‚ for ADHD and many other conditions.The study is published in The Journal of Neuroscience.  

The direction of time seems pretty obvious; it goes from the past towards the future‚ though the reason why that is the case is unclear. This arrow of time has been linked to entropy‚ the measurement of the disorder of a system. Over time‚ in an isolated system‚ entropy always increases. This process is irreversible. It applies to the aging everything experiences‚ or an egg rolling off the counter and breaking apart. But under a certain perspective‚ there are materials that defy this behavior. And they are very common: glasses and plastics.These materials consist of tangles of molecules‚ usually in a random distribution. Even as solids‚ the constituent molecules are moving‚ though it’s an incredibly slow process. The molecules always look for the most favorable energetic state‚ and this process changes the properties of the material over time. For the glass in a window‚ it would take billions of years.To look at this process from the point of view of the material‚ researchers use the “material time” – the internal clock ticking inside the substance in question. This depends on how quickly the molecules within the material reorganize‚ meaning you can have material that has a very long material time. Still‚ globally the arrow of time points toward the future. Everything ages.Measurements of material time are far from easy. Researchers created a setup to study the molecular movement in a sample of glass‚ and statistical methods were used to establish the fluctuations over time. On analyzing the results‚ the team discovered that these molecular fluctuations are time-reversable. This means that they would look the same looking forward or backward in time.“However‚ this does not mean that the aging of materials can be reversed‚” lead author Till Böhmer‚ from the Technical University of Darmstadt‚ said in a statement.So‚ the molecular small movements don’t affect the aging of the whole system. They shake and shimmy without affecting the material time. As far as that time arrow is concerned‚ in glasses and plastic‚ the molecular changes could be going backward or forward. The direction of the arrow of time from the molecular point of view is irrelevant. But overall‚ the glass still ages.“This leaves us with a mountain of unanswered questions‚” added co-author Prof. Thomas Blochowicz.Does the reversibility come from physical laws that are reversible? How is the material time different in different materials? Does this finding apply to all disordered materials as the team suspects? Those are the questions that future research must now determine the answers to.The study is published in Nature Physics.

It’s hard not to love octopuses – they’re bizarre-looking‚ hugely intelligent‚ and get up to plenty of shenanigans. That makes what happens to them all the more tragic; after the females of some octopus species lay their eggs‚ they stop eating‚ slowly withering away until they die. The trigger of this process‚ known as the death spiral‚ has long puzzled researchers‚ but it seems the answer has now been uncovered.Scientists back in the 1970s had linked the death spiral to the octopus optic gland‚ after surgically removing it led to octopuses continuing to live even after laying eggs. Dr Jerome Wodinsky‚ who carried out the research‚ told the Washington Post at the time that he believed that the process was controlled by a hormone secreted by the optic gland.Fast forward to 2022‚ and it turns out Wodinksy was at least partially right. Researchers with the University of Chicago set to analyzing the chemicals secreted by the maternal octopus optic gland‚ focusing in on cholesterol and sterol hormones. Previous studies by the team suggested these molecules could play a role.The researchers discovered that the optic gland in maternal octopuses experiences a significant shift in cholesterol metabolism‚ leading to equally drastic changes in steroid hormone production. This occurs via three different pathways‚ all of which involve cholesterol in some way and appear to lead to the death spiral behavior.“What's striking is that they go through this progression of changes where they seem to go crazy right before they die‚” said study author Clifton Ragsdale in a statement. “Maybe that's two processes‚ maybe it's three or four. Now‚ we have at least three apparently independent pathways to steroid hormones that could account for the multiplicity of effects that these animals show.”One of these pathways results in increased levels of 7-dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC)‚ a precursor molecule to cholesterol. In humans‚ a mutation in the enzyme that’s involved in this conversion leads to a genetic disorder that can involve repetitive self-injury. That makes this finding particularly pertinent‚ as some octopuses display self-mutilation behaviors during their death spiral.While the study provides long-awaited insight into how the death spiral is controlled‚ it remains that this tragic process doesn’t happen in every octopus species. Lead study author Z. Yan Wang is now looking to the optic gland of one such species‚ the lesser Pacific striped octopus‚ to discover why it doesn’t self-destruct after reproduction.“The optic gland exists in all other soft-bodied cephalopods‚ and they have such divergent reproductive strategies‚” said Wang. “It’s such a tiny gland and it’s underappreciated‚ and I think it’s going to be exciting to explore how it contributes to such a great diversity of life history trajectories in cephalopods.”The study is published in Current Biology.

When it comes to the information that we're faced with every day – be that scientific or otherwise – it's not always easy to know what information to trust‚ and which sources are reliable. Fortunately‚ some of the ideas and thought processes that underpin the scientific method can actually help us to navigate the news‚ while also adding to our appreciation of the world around us.To dive into how thinking scientifically can help us better navigate just about everything‚ we traveled to the University of Surrey‚ UK‚ to speak to renowned theoretical physicist and broadcaster Professor Jim Al-Khalili. As the author of The Joy Of Science‚ Al-Khalili has picked up his fair share of tips on how thinking scientifically can help us better live our lives‚ from understanding breaking stories to truly appreciating a good rainbow.      Tell us about The Joy Of ScienceJim Al-Khalili: In a non-religious/spiritual way‚ science adds to our appreciation of the world around us. There's a famous quote by physicist Richard Feynman who argues against the artist who said‚ “I see a flower‚ and I see its beauty. You scientists break it up into its molecules‚” and he says‚ “No‚ I also see the beauty of the flower‚ but a scientific understanding adds to that appreciation.”In the book‚ I talk about the rainbow and how we can all stand and enjoy the beauty of a rainbow‚ but understanding a bit of the science actually makes it even more inspiring. For example‚ no two people standing next to each other see the same rainbow because the raindrop that reflects that color light is reflecting it into your eye‚ not into someone else’s‚ so we all see it differently. There is a joy in understanding science that we can all have‚ you don't have to have many years of training. So‚ it's more than just thinking rationally and logically and sort of Mr Spock‚ cold‚ hard logic. There are ways of doing science that we learn as scientists that we sort of take for granted‚ but I think there are lots of lessons there that could be exported to everyday life.Can a scientific way of thinking help us have more productive disagreements and discussions?JA-K: I hope so. That was partly the motivation for the book. We live in a world where‚ particularly on social media‚ opinions are so polarised. So black and white‚ and people are so certain that they are on the right side of history‚ but the other side also thinks the same thing. In science‚ it isn't black and white. Scientists are people and we want our theories‚ our ideas‚ our experimental data to be correct‚ but we know that if we're wrong‚ we're wrong. We’re going to have to move with it‚ because otherwise we'd be left behind. If only [we could all adopt that] examining of what you believe‚ rather than trying to win the argument at all costs‚ I think that would make for a healthier society.So getting it wrong isn’t such a bad thing?JA-K: It's a strength. It's empowering to be able to admit that you're wrong. You don't hear a politician saying‚ “Sorry‚ I had this particular economic policy that I wanted to implement. I've talked to some people who know more about it than me‚ and I've now changed my mind.” That's seen as a weakness.In science‚ that's a strength because if no one changed their minds‚ if you had a theory that you stuck with‚ regardless‚ we'd never make any progress in science. We would still be thinking what we thought 2‚000 years ago. Being able to admit you’re wrong‚ examining what you believe‚ and reassessing it in the light of new data and new evidence‚ that is the way we progress in science.Why do you think so many of us find it hard to consider we might be wrong?JA-K: It’s uncomfortable to be faced with something that’s contrary to what you believe. Cognitive dissonance is the term‚ it’s a real sense of discomfort [to think] I believe something‚ and then someone presents me with evidence to the contrary. I don’t want to change my mind‚ it’s really hard‚ even with the best will in the world. Prof. Jim Al-Khalili’s top tips for navigating the news with science:It’s important to look under the surface. When you get a bit of information‚ it’s very useful to find out whether it’s a reliable source. Could they have an ulterior motive for pushing a particular view?If you’re having a debate with someone‚ just pause and tell yourself‚ it’s not about winning the argument. So what if you win? Surely it’s more important to get to the truth of the matter.Always be open to examining your own biases‚ and empathize with the other person’s point of view. Admitting you’re wrong doesn’t mean you’re stupid. It’s why Professors have no problem asking the dumbest questions at a science seminar‚ because they aren’t worried about their reputation. Catch the full interview on YouTube.

The bond between a dog and its human is something truly special. It’s a connection that goes beyond words‚ filled with loyalty and love. This story is a testament to that incredible bond. It’s about a German Shepherd named Freyja and her owner‚ who were separated for a heart-wrenching nine months. Imagine the longing and... The post German Shepherd ‘whimpers’ with joy when she reunites with soldier dad after 9 months apart appeared first on Animal Channel.

Welcome to the African savannah‚ a place where charm and playfulness in wildlife come alive. Our story begins with three spirited lion cubs‚ whose youthful energy and cheeky behavior set the stage for an enchanting and insightful look at animal behavior. In the video‚ we’re invited to a rare peek into the world of these... The post Naughty lion cubs melt hearts with the adorable way they ‘annoy’ their daddy appeared first on Animal Channel.