Articles tagged with Ethology
Researchers found reptiles and amphibians to be a crucial high-value food source for whooping cranes, particularly during spring nesting season. This adaptability suggests the birds have an increased chance for survival in human-modified environments.
A Russian-US research team found that aggressive behavior leads to new nerve cells being generated in the brain, specifically in the hippocampus. This discovery could help understand aggression and its link to autism and other disorders.
A new study from Rockefeller University found no overall differences in DNA methylation between worker and queen ants, challenging the popular explanation for their social roles. The research suggests that methylation may contribute to stable expression of household genes, but further studies are needed to confirm this.
A study by Professor Mark Elgar at the University of Melbourne found that older athletes were more likely to be selected as team captains in elite-level sports. The research revealed a significant impact on team discipline, with teams led by older captains receiving fewer penalties per game.
A new study by the University of Exeter found that grey squirrels solve problems in the search for food through persistence and choosing effective behaviors. The research showed increased experience, higher persistence, and behavioral selectivity are directly related to improved problem-solving efficiency.
A recent study published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that songbirds' vocal muscles can change their function to produce different sound parameters, similar to a trained opera singer. The research, led by Samuel Sober, shows that the bird's brain directs complex changes in muscle combinations to create complex songs.
Neural clocks have been found to exist and can be used to predict timing behavior in rats. Researchers identified a mechanism in the Striatum brain region where populations of neurons create sequences of activity that encode time.
Research supports theory of kin selection, suggesting that altruistic behavior occurs to pass genes to next generation. Genes inherited from queen promote altruistic behavior in worker bees, while those from father's promote selfish behavior.
Research suggests that symptoms of illness are not caused by direct infection but rather serve as a mechanism to isolate the infected individual and prevent further transmission. This 'selfish gene' hypothesis proposes that evolution has preserved such behavior over millennia.
A new theoretical model proposes that humans have an exclusively human capacity for mental time travel, composed of episodic memory and scenario construction. However, no definitive evidence supports foresightful behavior in animals, suggesting they may not possess the same level of mental time travel capabilities.
A study by Friederike Range and colleagues found that dogs donated food to familiar partners more often than to unfamiliar ones. The researchers also discovered that the degree of familiarity among the dogs influenced this behavior, with prosocial behavior exhibited less frequently towards unfamiliar dogs.
Researchers at the University of York and University of St Andrews observed greater vasa parrots using small pebbles or date pits to grind calcium from seashells, a behavior never seen before in this species.
A study by Michael Platt at the University of Pennsylvania found that the amygdala influences positive social functions like kindness and charitable giving in humans. Rhesus macaques showed a neural response to recipient rewards, which was correlated with prosocial behavior.
A Canadian research team developed a device to detect social wasp alarm pheromones, revealing three species have similar chemical messages. This discovery highlights the insects' ability to recognize and respond to other species' alarm pheromones.
A study published in PLOS ONE found that cichlid fish can accurately recognize individuals using facial color patterns, requiring longer viewing distances for unfamiliar faces than familiar ones. Fish demonstrated rapid discrimination between familiar and unfamiliar individuals, with recognition times under 0.5 seconds.
A female bonobo named Kuni was found to have a spontaneous drumming tempo of 270 beats per minute, faster than observed in human children. She synchronized her drumming with the human drummer on 54% of trials, with greater success near her preferred tempo.
Researchers demonstrated that specific regions in the brain represent sweet and bitter tastes, allowing for control over sensory perception and behavioral actions. Silencing or activating these regions can evoke different taste perceptions, including sweet or bitter, without actual tasting.
Researchers at Queen Mary University of London found male bumblebees equal to female worker bees in learning floral colors. The study showed that male bees can learn new flower colors as indicators for nectar even when the original color changes.
Researchers have discovered that electric eels can double the power of their electrical discharge by curling up their bodies, allowing them to handle larger and more struggling prey. This behavior enables the eels to induce involuntary fatigue in prey, rendering them temporarily immobilized.
Researchers studied female fruit flies' auditory pathways to understand how external stimuli become behavior. They found that longer song segments prompt females to slow down and let males approach, a finding relevant to humans' ability to recognize patterns in the environment.
Researchers at Emory and Georgia Tech have developed inhibitory luminopsins that can modulate neuronal firing in culture and in vivo, enabling the study of ways to halt or prevent seizure activity. The tools use a glowing protein from coral as a light source, offering a cleaner alternative to traditional optogenetics.
Researchers at Linköping University found that domesticated animals grew faster and laid larger eggs when selected for reduced fear of humans. The study used red junglefowl and bred them over five generations to demonstrate the link between tameness and desirable traits.
A new study published in PLOS Computational Biology found that rodents behave like a self-organizing system when huddling together to regulate their temperature. This allows the group to better adapt to changing temperatures, with individual behaviors improving the ability of the whole group to regulate its temperature.
Trichoplax, a multicellular marine animal without organs, exhibits complex feeding behavior involving external digestion of algae. The organism's cells coordinate a sequence of behaviors, including gliding and secretion of granules that break down the algae, indicating local control and cellular communication.
Researchers discovered that larger groups of animals synchronize their behavior, with social interactions playing a key role. The study found that even without external cues, internal mechanisms are regulated by social presence, leading to increased synchronization in group settings.
Scientists have created a tool that can identify thousands of chemosensory receptors stimulated by specific smells in various species, from mice to flies. This breakthrough could help unravel the logic of chemosensory code across animal species and has countless applications, including understanding behaviors triggered by odorants.
A team of ants uses a balance between individual direction and conformist behavior to move food towards their nest, making adjustments as needed. This cooperative behavior enables the group to optimize their movement, with well-informed individuals steering the load.
A new study reveals that stadium lighting can alter patterns of bat species activity and feeding, potentially leading to cascading effects on the ecosystem. Urban exploiter bats are more likely to hunt insects attracted to bright light pollution sources like stadiums.
In a surprising display of courtship behavior, male black widow spiders destroy large sections of the female's web and wrap it up in their own silk. This home-wrecking behavior makes the web less attractive to rival males, potentially protecting the female from harassment and allowing her to focus on parenting.
Research shows that Wolbachia-infected male fruit flies fight less aggressively than their uninfected peers. The infected flies took three times longer to initiate fights and started fewer battles, but their bouts lasted as long as those of uninfected counterparts.
A new study from the University of California, Davis, uses GPS tracking to show that animals living in complex societies make decisions democratically. The study breaks ground in how animal behavior data is collected, revealing patterns similar to those found in more simple societal structures.
A new study published in Animal Behaviour found that male mountain gorillas' relationships with infants are influenced by their social rank, not paternity. Dominant males tend to be more nurturing and have stronger relationships with infants in the troop.
A new study suggests that as social behavior evolved in insects, the need for complex cognition in individuals decreased. Solitary wasp species have larger brains than their social counterparts, indicating a shift from individual to distributed cognition.
Winning fish in Siamese fighting fish battles can generate more muscle energy than losing fish, highlighting the crucial role of biochemical processes. The study reveals how energy metabolism affects aggression in animals, contradicting the assumption that only conspicuous traits like antlers drive success.
Researchers found that inherent nervous system delays can enable individuals to anticipate others' movements, challenging traditional views. The study used a feedback delay to improve coordination between unpredictable movements, with promising implications for robotics and artificial systems.
A recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that anticipating a potential ethical dilemma can lead to improved ethical behavior. Participants who identified similar past incidents and anticipated temptation were more likely to behave honestly than those who didn't.
A new study of social relationships in wild apes reveals that low-ranking female chimpanzees form stronger bonds with other females of similar status. The researchers analyzed daily records for 53 adult females over 38 years and found that these low-ranking pairs were more likely to seek each other out than those from higher social ranks.
Researchers found that rats learn to help a distressed cagemate gain access to safety in exchange for rewards, indicating empathy-like feelings. Those with previous water experiences were quicker to learn this skill.
Scientists found that AGRP neurons, responsible for unpleasant feelings of hunger, help explain why it's hard to stick to a diet. These neurons teach animals to respond to sensory cues that signal the presence of food, making them more likely to snack.
A new study has found that the colour of light impacts how the brain clock measures time of day and regulates animals' physiology and behavior. By analyzing changes in light color around dawn and dusk, scientists discovered that blue light is reliably detected during twilight hours, unlike during the day.
Researchers found that infected ants clean themselves more frequently but restrict allogrooming with healthy group members. This self-restriction helps contain the pathogen's spread in the ant colony, benefiting all social animals under epidemic threat.
Researchers found that a neural circuit evaluates environmental variability to prompt animals to explore new locations. The circuit uses information from the animal's senses to determine predictability, triggering dopamine release and increased risk-taking behavior. This discovery could lead to better therapies for neurodegenerative an...
Researchers at NYU Tandon School of Engineering have developed a robotic predator that can spook zebrafish just as well as a real one, revealing new insights into fear and anxiety in animal populations. The robot's effectiveness was comparable to that of live red tiger oscar, but with more consistent avoidance responses.
A study published in Genes, Brain and Behavior found that animal models with autism risk gene mutations exhibit decreased aggressive behavior towards strangers, instead engaging in repetitive patterns. The research suggests a potential counter-narrative to the widespread perception of increased aggression in individuals with autism.
Researchers have developed a new fluorescent protein called CaMPARI, which permanently marks neurons that are active at a particular time. This allows scientists to visualize neural activity beyond the limited field of view of a microscope and capture snapshots of neural activity during complex behaviors.
A study of 12 years of observations of chimpanzee playground fights found that chimps with higher-ranking moms are more likely to win. However, the mothers did not intervene in most cases, letting their offspring fight their battles for themselves.
Researchers propose the 'Canine Cooperation Hypothesis', suggesting wolves' natural social behavior provided the foundation for human-dog relationships. Studies show wolves exhibit similar social skills to dogs, including tolerance and cooperation with humans.
Disney Research creates a method for automatically reviewing nighttime giraffe behavior videos and creating a summary of unusual behaviors. The system can detect rare events in real-time, allowing wildlife experts to better understand giraffe health and safety.
The journal presents studies on playfulness in dogs, dolphins, frogs, and octopuses, as well as its connection to humor, social bonding, and creativity. Researchers investigate how experiences in infancy shape a person's sense of humor and how playfulness affects adaptability and social success.
Researchers identified nerve cells that produce serotonin, leading to gregarious behavior in locusts. Serotonin also plays a role in regulating mood and behavior in humans, with links to mental disorders like depression and anxiety.
A recent article in BioScience assesses contrasting views on kin selection, a theory explaining animal altruism through genetic influence. The authors argue that vagueness about explanation, measurements, and modeling underlies many differences between critics and proponents.
Scientists have discovered that dragonflies employ a sophisticated system of movement and prediction to catch their prey. By analyzing the intricate movements of their heads and bodies, researchers found that dragonflies use internal models to guide their behavior and anticipate the movements of their prey.
A study of Aegean wall lizard populations on Greek islands reveals that island tameness is driven by both predator diversity and island isolation. Lizards on small, long-isolated islands are most susceptible to introduced predators, highlighting the need for conservation efforts prioritizing these populations.
Research suggests that early-life stress can have positive effects on behavior, such as improved flexibility and goal-oriented behavior, which can be passed down through generations via molecular pathways. This study reveals the beneficial impact of moderate stress in childhood, leading to better coping strategies in adulthood.
Research from the University of Bristol found that bird groups unite at nightfall after territorial conflicts, strengthening their defense of valuable roost sites. This cooperation between group members is favored by conflict with outsiders, highlighting a link to human societal evolution.
A new study published in Current Biology by Feldblum et al. has found that male chimpanzee aggression towards females is an adaptive strategy, increasing mating frequency and paternal likelihood for high-ranking males. Genetic analysis of fecal material reveals long-term sexual coercion as a key factor in paternity.
Researchers at NYU Tandon School of Engineering have developed a mathematical model that can predict aspects of animal behavior using stock market models. This new model allows for more efficient experimentation and improved data analysis, enabling researchers to replace some experiments with computer modeling.
A study by Linköping University found that a single compound in blood, trans-4,5-epoxy-(E)-2-decenal, is as attractive to large carnivores as the entire blood smell. Researchers discovered this through gas chromatography and mass spectrometry techniques.
West African chimpanzees employ a sophisticated tool-based technique, dubbed 'ant dipping,' to harvest army ants for sustenance. This study reveals that army ants are a significant component of the chimpanzee diet throughout the year, providing essential nutrients like protein and fats.
Researchers at Rockefeller University have identified a newly discovered class of brain cells that respond to oxytocin in female mice. These oxytocin receptor interneurons (OxtrINs) play a key role in influencing social behavior, particularly in females during their reproductive cycle, and may also contribute to human social interactions.