Tag Archives: comprehend

20 Bird Species Can Comprehend Each Other’s Alarm Calls

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A splendid fairy (left) attempts to evade the cuckoo

David Ongley

More than 20 bird species globally utilize similar “whining” alarm calls to alert others about the presence of cuckoos. These calls seem to resonate across species, shedding light on their evolutionary significance.

Cuckoos are among the numerous 100 species recognized as brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other birds and relying on them to raise their young as if they were their own.

Will Feeney and his team at biological stations in Spain and Doñana identified 21 species that last shared a common ancestor around 53 million years ago. These species exhibit structurally similar “whimper” calls when they detect a breeding parasite.

Examples include the splendid fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus) in Australia, the yellow-brown prinia (Prinia subflava) in Africa, Hume’s leaf warbler (Phylloscopus humei) in Asia, and the green warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides) in Europe.

“It seems these diverse bird species worldwide have converged on the same vocalization to alert against their respective brood parasites,” observes Feeney.

Researchers often observe that species producing this alarm call tend to inhabit areas rich in brood parasites, which exploit various host species. When a potential host detects the whining, they often resort to aggressive defense behaviors.

“Brood parasites present a unique threat. They pose significant risks to offspring while largely being non-threatening to adult birds,” says Feeney. “Our findings suggest that [the call] plays a crucial role in promptly alerting fellow birds and potentially securing their protection.”

“In the case of the splendid fairy-wren, they are cooperative breeders, which likely means that the mobbing call is intended to attract additional individuals for support,” explains Rose Thorogood from the University of Helsinki, Finland.

To deepen their investigation, Feeney and colleagues recorded calls from brood-parasite hosts across continents and played them to potential host birds in Australia and China. They discovered that hearing foreign alarm calls prompted just as quick a response as calls from their own species.

“This indicates that the function of this vocalization is geared towards fostering interspecies communication rather than merely internal signaling,” highlights Feeney.

Thorogood cautions: “The ancestral alarm calls shared by our forebears may not have solely targeted brood parasites. Instead, they likely feature specific acoustic properties that are effective in repelling these threats.”

The research team also conducted similar experiments with yellow warblers (Setophaga petechia) in North America, which serve as egg hosts for brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) yet do not produce the distinctive whining alarm call. When exposed to the splendid fairy-wren’s alarm, warblers responded promptly by returning to their nests, demonstrating distress through various calls in addition to mobbing.

Feeney suggests that numerous bird species respond to innate components in alarm calls, while local birds in areas where brood parasites are prevalent adapt their calls and responses to convey information about local dangers.

“These birds have adapted distress calls for new contexts related to offspring threats,” he explains. “This provides insights into why birds across the globe utilize similar sounds.”

Charles Darwin proposed in his 1871 work, The Descent of Man, that spoken language’s origins could be traced back to imitation and adaptation of instinctual sounds made by humans and other animals. These instances may not only involve cries of fear but can also reflect pain. “A bird adapting these instinctual calls for different purposes might represent a foundational step towards language,” concludes Feeney.

Rob Magrath of the Australian National University notes, “Calls often convey specific meanings, sometimes referring to external objects or incidents, rather than merely indicating internal states like fear or traits such as gender or species.”

“This referential quality suggests that such vocalizations bear resemblance to human language, frequently referencing the external world,” he adds. “Thus, animal communication and human language may exist on a continuum rather than being distinct attributes of humans.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

How Metaphysics Uncovers Hidden Assumptions to Comprehend Reality

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Metaphysics often faces undue criticism. “Many people consider it a waste of time,” states philosopher Stephen Mumford from Durham University, UK, and author of Metaphysics: A Very Short Introduction. “Are they simply arguing over trivial matters, like how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?”

This viewpoint is understandable. Classical metaphysics—originating from the Greek term “meta”—has often grappled with peculiar questions. For instance, what constitutes a table? What shape does color assume? We utilize logical tools like “reductio ad absurdum” to derive conclusions solely from inference. This method seeks to demonstrate the validity of a claim by highlighting absurdities within its negation, quite different from the empirical observations that characterize scientific inquiry.

This article is part of our concept special, exploring how experts view some of the most intriguing scientific ideas. Click here for more information.

Nonetheless, the notion that metaphysics is merely an abstract discipline disconnected from reality is rebutted by Mumford:

Indeed, modern science has encroached upon areas once deemed exclusive to metaphysics, including the nature of consciousness and the implications of quantum mechanics. It’s becoming increasingly evident that both domains are interconnected.

To understand this interplay, one must recognize that everyone inherently possesses metaphysical beliefs, asserts Vanessa Seyfert, a philosopher of science at the University of Bristol, England. For instance, many believe in the existence of objects even when they are not being observed, despite the absence of robust empirical evidence to support this claim.

Moreover, “naturalized metaphysics” emerges from this discussion. Unlike traditional metaphysics, which remains speculative, this version is grounded in scientific understanding, according to Seyfert. “We observe what science reveals about our universe and consider whether we can accept it as literal truth.”

This contemporary metaphysics serves a crucial role for science, as it probes the foundational assumptions behind our understanding of the universe. “In many instances, metaphysical beliefs form the basis upon which empirical knowledge is constructed,” explains Mumford.

Causality—the principle that every effect has a cause—is a prime example. Despite the fact that causality itself is not directly observable, it is a belief we universally hold. “Essentially, the entirety of science operates on this metaphysical premise of causality,” he remarks.

These days, scientists routinely engage with deeply metaphysical concepts, ranging from chemical elements to space and time, as well as the very laws of nature, thereby intensifying the scrutiny of these ideas.

“We can critically evaluate our metaphysical assumptions or choose to overlook them for their validity,” says Mumford. “However, ignoring them means we make unexamined assumptions.”

One notable intersection of science and metaphysics exists in quantum mechanics, which delves into the atomic and subatomic realm. While it stands as a highly successful scientific framework, addressing its implications requires physicists to confront metaphysical queries, such as the interpretation of quantum superpositions.

In this realm, competing interpretations of reality exist without being testable through conventional experiments. It’s increasingly clear that scientific advancement hinges on confronting these hidden assumptions. In response, some researchers are revitalizing the notion of “experimental metaphysics,” aiming to assess the consistency of metaphysical beliefs that prioritize various interpretations of quantum theory.

“Ultimately, you cannot engage in physics without also grappling with metaphysical inquiries,” states Eric Cavalcanti, a prominent proponent of this perspective at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia. “Both aspects must be addressed simultaneously.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Can AI Comprehend Flowers Without Touching or Smelling Them?

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If you can’t smell, what are flowers?

ClearViewimages RF/Alamy

The newest artificial intelligence models demonstrate a comprehension of the world akin to human understanding. Yet, their sensory limitations hinder their grasp of concepts like flowers and humor.

Qihui Xu from Ohio State and her team explored the understanding of nearly 4,500 words by both humans and large-scale language models (LLMs), covering terms such as “flowers,” “hooves,” “humorous,” and “swings.” Both human participants and AI models evaluated these words based on emotional arousal and physical interactions associated with various body parts.

The objective was to analyze how LLMs, such as OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 and GPT-4, along with Google’s Palm and Gemini, compared with human rankings. While both humans and AI exhibited similar concept maps for words unrelated to sensory interaction, substantial discrepancies arose when it involved physical sensations and actions.

For instance, AI models often suggested that flowers could be perceived through the torso, a notion that most people find peculiar, as they typically enjoy flowers visually or through scent.

The challenge lies in the fact that LLMs develop their understanding from a vast array of text sourced from the internet, which falls short in tackling sensual concepts. “They are fundamentally different from humans,” she explains.

Certain AI models have undergone training using visual data like images and videos alongside text. Researchers have noticed that these models yield results more closely aligned with human evaluations, enhancing the chances that future AI will bridge sensory understanding with human cognition.

“This illustrates that the advantages of multimodal training might surpass expectations. In reality, it seems that one plus one can yield two or more,” states Xu. “In terms of AI advancement, this underscores the significance of developing multimodal models and the necessity of embodying these models.”

Philip Feldman at the University of Maryland in Baltimore County suggests that simulating an AI with a robotic body, exposed to sensorimotor experiences, could greatly enhance its capabilities, but he cautions about the inherent risks of physical harm to others.

Preventing such dangers requires implementing safeguards in robotic actions or opting for softer robots to avoid causing injury during training, warns Feldman, although this approach has its downsides.

“This may distort their perception of the world,” Feldman remarks. “One lesson they might learn is that they can gently bounce objects. [In a real robot with mass] The humanoid robots might believe they can collide with one another at full speed. That could lead to serious issues.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com