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Study: Brain Signals in the Visual Area Can Indicate the Colors Observers Are Viewing

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Do different observers experience similar neural activity in response to the same color? Does color produce distinct response patterns in specific brain areas? To explore these inquiries, researchers at the University of Tübingen utilized existing knowledge of color responses from various observers’ brains to predict the colors an individual is perceiving based on their brain activity. By estimating general brain commonality and responding to achromatic, spatial stimuli, the authors successfully aligned disparate brain responses within a common response framework linked to the retina. In this framework, derived independently of specific color responses, the perceived color can be decoded across individuals, revealing distinct spatial color biases between regions.

Using a sample of male and female volunteers, Michael M. Bannert & Andreas Bartels examined whether spatial color biases are shared among human observers and whether these biases differ among various regions. Image credit: Vat Loai.

Employing functional MRI scans, researchers Michael Banert and Andreas Bartels from the University of Tübingen captured images of subjects’ brains while they viewed visual stimuli, identifying various signals related to red, green, and yellow colors.

Remarkably, the patterns of brain activity appeared similar among subjects who had not participated previously. This suggests that the colors perceived can be accurately predicted by comparing them to the brain images of other participants.

The representation of color in the brain proves to be much more consistent than previously believed.

While it was already feasible to identify the colors an individual observed using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), this was only applicable to the same brain.

“We aimed to investigate whether similar colors are encoded across different brains,” Dr. Banert stated.

“In other words, if we only have neuronal color signals from another person’s brain, can we predict the colors they’re perceiving?”

“It’s well established that different brains exhibit roughly similar functional structures.”

“For instance, specific areas are more active when viewing faces, bodies, or simply colors.”

During the color experiment, researchers employed specific classification algorithms to analyze fMRI data, systematically differentiating signals originating from the brains of various groups of individuals by color.

Subsequently, data from new subjects were utilized to ascertain the colors they were perceiving using neuronal signals.

To frame each brain’s orientation, scientists spatially mapped how they responded to stimuli at different locations within their visual field using fMRI measurements.

“At this stage, we did not incorporate colors to avoid any bias in our results—only black and white patterns,” Professor Bartels explained.

“By simply merging this mapping data with color information from another person’s brain, we ensured we correctly identified the ‘new’ brain activity related to what the person was observing at that moment.”

“I was surprised to discover that even subtle variations in individual colors show remarkable similarity across brain activity patterns in specific visual processing regions, something previously unknown.”

Spatial color coding in the brain is domain-specific and organized consistently among individuals.

“There must be functional or evolutionary factors contributing to this uniform development, but further clarification is needed,” the authors noted.

The study was published this week in the Journal of Neuroscience.

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Michael M. Bannert and Andreas Bartels. Large-scale color biases in the functional architecture of the retina are domain-specific and shared throughout the human brain. Journal of Neuroscience Published online on September 8th, 2025. doi: 10.1523/jneurosci.2717-20.2025

Source: www.sci.news

Geoscientists Discover Pulsating Mantle Plume Beneath Remote Area of Ethiopia

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According to a study led by researchers at the University of Southampton, these pulses are gradually tearing apart the African continent, resulting in the formation of a new sea basin.

Variation of geochemical and geophysical properties around distant triangles. Image credit: Watts et al, doi: 10.1038/s41561-025-01717-0.

The AFAR region stands out as a unique site on Earth where three structural lifts converge: the main Ethiopian rifts, the Red Sea rifts, and the Gulf of Aden lifts.

Geologists have speculated for some time that a thermal upwelling from the mantle, commonly referred to as plumes, exists beneath this area and promotes the extension of the crust along with the formation of upcoming sea basins.

However, the details regarding the structure of this upwelling and its behavior beneath the lifting plate have remained largely unknown until now.

“Our findings indicate that the mantle below the region is uniform but not stationary; it exhibits a pulsing nature that carries a unique chemical signature,” explained Dr. Emma Watts, who led the study at the University of Southampton and is currently at Swansea University.

“These rising pulses from the partially melted mantle are directed by the overlying filling plate.”

“This insight is crucial for understanding the interaction between the Earth’s interior and its surface.”

Dr. Watts and her team collected over 130 volcanic rock samples from remote areas and significant Ethiopian rifts.

Additionally, they utilized existing data and sophisticated statistical modeling to examine the structure of the crust and mantle, along with the melts within.

Their research reveals a single asymmetric plume beneath the distant region, showcasing distinct chemical bands that recur throughout the lift system, akin to geological barcodes.

These patterns vary in spacing according to the structural conditions of each lift arm.

“The observed chemical stripes imply that the plume pulsates like a heartbeat,” remarked Professor Tom Gernon from the University of Southampton.

“These pulses seem to behave differently based on the thickness of the plate and the rate at which it is pulled apart.”

“In faster-spreading rifts like the Red Sea, the pulsation occurs more efficiently and regularly, similar to a pulse flowing through a narrow artery.”

The findings illustrate that the mantle plume beneath the distant region is dynamic, reacting to the tectonic plate above it.

Dr. Derek Kiel, a researcher at the University of Southampton and the University of Florence, stated:

“This has significant implications for interpreting processes related to surface volcanism, seismic activity, and continental splitting.”

“Our work indicates that deep mantle upwellings flow beneath the tectonic plate, concentrating volcanic activity in the thinnest areas.”

“Understanding the rate and manner of mantle flow beneath the plate is crucial for further research.”

“Collaborating with experts from various fields within the institution, as we did for this project, is vital for uncovering the processes that occur beneath the Earth’s surface and their link to recent volcanic activity,” Dr. Watts emphasized.

“It’s challenging to see the broader picture, akin to assembling a puzzle without all the pieces unless we employ diverse techniques.”

study published in the journal Natural Earth Science.

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ej watts et al. Mantle upwelling at an afor triple junction influenced by the dynamics of the overriding plate. Nat. Geosci Published online on June 25, 2025. doi:10.1038/s41561-025-01717-0

Source: www.sci.news

The Tampa Bay area experienced record-breaking rain levels from Hurricane Milton, reaching levels not seen in a millennium.

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Hurricane Milton dumped so much rain on parts of Florida’s Tampa Bay area that it was classified as a once-in-1,000-year rainfall event.

The government said 18.31 inches, or more than 1.5 feet, of rain fell in St. Petersburg in the 24 hours the storm made landfall. Precipitation data from the National Weather Service.

This includes a whopping 5.09 inches in one hour from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM ET. This level is believed to have an approximately 0.1% chance of occurring in any given year.

“This is insane! St. Petersburg reported 5.09 inches of rain in one hour and 9.04 inches in three hours,” said Matthew Cappucci, Atmospheric Scientist and Senior Meteorologist at MyRadar Weather. states.Posted on Wednesday by X. “That’s rarer than a once-in-a-millennium rain event.”

Milton made landfall near Siesta Key as a strong Category 3 storm Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Other significant precipitation amounts across Florida include 14.01 inches in Clearwater Beach, 13.09 inches in Baskin, 11.43 inches in Tampa, and 10.12 inches in Seminole.

Scientists have not yet completed their analysis of the impact on Milton because it takes time to understand the effects of climate change on individual weather events. But in general, experts know that global warming is making storms wetter and more intense.

Research shows that global warming causes sea surface temperatures to rise, which provides extra energy to storms, increasing their speed and intensity. The unusually high sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico that strengthened hurricanes Milton and Helen are 200 to 500 times more likely to be caused by climate change, according to a study released Wednesday. It is said that

The warmer the atmosphere, the more water it can hold. For every 1 degree Fahrenheit increase in Earth’s temperature, the atmosphere can hold about 3% to 4% more water. Therefore, storms can dump large amounts of rain on land.

Milton’s heavy rains quickly flooded roads, homes, and other structures along the Florida Gulf Coast. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for Tampa and St. Petersburg, which lasted until 2:30 a.m. ET Thursday.

Forecasters expected heavy rain as Milton moved into Florida. Hours before landfall, the National Hurricane Center said it expected 6 to 12 inches of rain to fall across the central and northern Florida peninsula through Thursday, with local rainfall totals up to 18 inches.

The east coast of Florida is also experiencing rain. Preliminary measurements Wednesday showed 7 inches of precipitation in St. Augustine, 7.38 inches in Titusville, and 3.05 inches in Daytona Beach, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Milton has returned to the ocean, but additional rain and flooding is expected to continue into parts of eastern and central Florida through Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Dennis Chow

Dennis Chow is a science and space reporter for NBC News.

Kathryn Plosif and Joe Murphy contributed.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

500,000 people may have lived in a large submerged area near Australia

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The blue and pink areas indicate vast habitable areas that were once connected to northwestern Australia, but are now underwater.

Kasi Norman

As many as 500,000 people may have once lived on land in what is now northern Australia, which was submerged by rising sea levels at the end of the last ice age.

Kasi Norman Professors at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, have reconstructed the topography of the approximately 400,000 square kilometers of land currently covered by the Indian Ocean, known as the North-West Shelf. The researchers say this is not an uninhabitable place as previously thought, but rather a place where people have thrived for tens of thousands of years.

The study revealed features such as inland seas as large as the Sea of ​​Marmara in Turkey and vast freshwater lakes with gorges, rivers and cliffs, such as those currently found in Kakadu National Park in Australia's Northern Territory. became.

Mr Norman said this large area of ​​flooded land had long been known from oil and gas exploration, but the Australian Institute of Geosciences recently released detailed sonar data with pixels down to 30 x 30 metres. It is said that he did. “This is high enough resolution to tell us about landscape features that are important to people,” she says.

Research has revealed that the inland sea existed in a stable form from 27,000 to 17,000 years ago. A nearby 2,000 square kilometer freshwater lake remained stable from 30,000 to 14,000 years ago. The lake is thought to have been an important refuge for people fleeing south from the arid Australian continent during the Ice Age.

By modeling these geographic features, the researchers estimate that the area could have supported a population of 50,000 to 500,000 people.

“This vast landscape that no longer exists would have been very different from what we see in Australia today,” Norman said. “It's incredible to have a freshwater lake of this size next to an inland sea, and people would have lived on the other side of that lake. This is a lost landscape that people were using. is.”

However, at the end of the last ice age, sea levels began to rise dramatically. Initially, sea levels rose at about 1 meter per 100 years, Norman said, but from 14,500 to 14,100 years ago, the rate increased to 400 to 500 meters per 100 years.

If things had continued, people would have seen sea levels rise and be forced to move inland to escape flooding.

He said the region had never before modeled how many people it supported. peter bess The research, from the University of Western Australia, was made possible thanks to new detailed paleogeographical data available to the team.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

The Missoula Glacier Lake’s impact on the dramatic scaly area

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Satellite image of parts of Akaland taken on May 14, 2023 by Landsat 8’s Operational Land Imager.

Ejecta from Missoula Glacier Lake has carved out channeled skeletal lands in Washington state.

Southeastern Washington is home to miles of rolling hills and a neat grid of farmland. Dozens of crops It is grown on precious farmland on the Columbia Plateau. But in some places, undulating streaks of scoured soil interrupt a series of angular plots or center-pivot irrigated fields.

These rocky scars channeled scrubland, and they were formed in a series of dramatic floods 10,000 to 20,000 years ago. Landsat 8’s OLI (Operational Land Imager) captured the image of part of Acarland, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of Spokane, on May 14, 2023.

The sources of water that carved these unusual landforms remained a mystery to geologists for decades. Then they came to understand that as the Cordilleran Ice Sheet moved south during the last ice age, it formed dams along the Clark Fork River. Glacial Lake Missoula grew behind this ice dam in what is now western Montana and eventually held as much water as Lake Erie and Lake Ontario combined. Geologists estimate that: a dam was formed and broke dozens of times Over thousands of years, each breach releases up to 600 cubic miles of water across the region.

Detailed view of the image above.

Floodwaters flowed south and southwest, eventually emptying into the Columbia River. In the process, they carved grooves, potholes, and long channels known as “coulees” into the volcanic basalt bedrock. The detailed map (above) shows one of these channels and reveals the striking contrast between flood scoured areas and arable land.

The canyon shown here is small compared to the others. Grand Coulee, the largest of the Channeled Scrublands north of this scene. Completed in 1942, Grand Coulee Dam was the largest concrete structure in the world until it was surpassed by dams in South America. Itaipu Dam 1984 and China three gorges dam Established in 2006.Currently America’s largest hydroelectric facility Provides irrigation water to the Columbia Plateau.

NASA Earth Observatory imagery by Lauren Dauphin using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Source: scitechdaily.com