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Crusaders in Capes
It’s been a while since Mrs. Feedback was pregnant, yet she vividly recalls the discomfort of trying to sit on public transport with a belly the shape of a volleyball. Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that other passengers will yield their seats.
But imagine if Feedback had boarded the bus dressed as Batman? Surprisingly, this could have made a difference. Researchers led by Francesco Panini conducted an experiment and published results from a study on Milan’s subway system in npj Mental Health Research in November 2025. I tried this experiment.
A female team member, donning a prosthetic bump, boarded a train with a lifeguard. Some tests also included a third individual in a Batman costume. The costume featured a distinctive cape, logo, and pointed cowl for easy recognition, although the mask was omitted to avoid scaring passengers.
From photo reviews published in newspapers, it’s clear the costume is more charming than frightening, reminiscent of George Clooney’s outfit in Batman & Robin.
Notably, passengers relinquished their seats to “pregnant” women 67% of the time when Batman was present, compared to only 38% without him. The researchers suggest that “unexpected events may foster prosocial behavior.” Remarkably, many passengers were often unconscious of Batman’s presence; 44% who gave up their seats reported not seeing him.
Feedback posits that perhaps Batman, a lifelong champion of social justice, encourages others to reflect on fairness and decency. However, researchers caution that experiments on social priming often don’t yield consistent results, highlighting the “replication crisis” in social sciences. They emphasize the importance of Batman’s unexpectedness.
The researchers speculate that “psychologists could explore ways to weave ‘positive disruption’ into daily life,” through artistic or theatrical interventions in public spaces that temporarily break routines and foster connections. All of this suggests that impactful feedback “guides” people toward better behavior, but as with social priming, results can be unreliable. Regardless, crafting an eye-catching costume may just be key.
Interestingly, if someone dressed as Batman boarded a train, many would hardly glance twice. Perhaps the Milanese cosplay scene lacks vibrancy compared to other locales.
This study explores how often autistic and non-autistic individuals anthropomorphize inanimate objects and its emotional consequences. Initially, the feedback made me question our household; our vacuum cleaner remains nameless. However, I recollected that we do name our cars (we sold “Carol” because it was faulty, now we drive “Kitty”).
Before academics can publish their work, they must navigate the challenging peer review process, where fellow researchers critique their submissions (often anonymously). Scholars refer to “Reviewer 2” much like ordinary folks talk about infamous figures.
Historian Andre Pagliarini took to social media to report a particularly egregious example of peer review: “First, when rejecting a paper I submitted, Reviewer 2 noted that I had no involvement with a man named Andre Pagliarini.”
As others quickly pointed out, this is a hypothetical scenario. If Pagliarini had cited more of his work, he might have faced accusations of self-promotion or had his paper rejected for lack of originality.
When we hear feedback, we often echo the lines other reviewers wrote in response. “But sir, I am Pagliarini.” If you’re unfamiliar with this joke, count yourself fortunate, as there’s no room for further explanation.
Have a story for Feedback?
You can submit your article to Feedback at feedback@newscientist.com. Please include your home address. This week’s and previous Feedback editions are available on our website.
The pelvis is often described as the keystone for upright locomotion. Over millions of years, it has undergone significant transformations, enabling us to walk on two legs more effectively than any other part of our lower body. However, the specifics of this remarkable adaptation have been largely unknown. Recent research has uncovered two crucial genetic changes that reshaped the pelvis, permitting it to evolve into the upright structure that our ancestors utilized while traversing the Earth.
Ardipithecus ramidus Humanity resided in Africa over 4 million years ago. Illustrations by Arturo Asensio, via Quo.es
Anatomists have long recognized that the human pelvis is distinct among primates.
In our closest relatives, African apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas) possess hipbones that are tall, narrow, and flat from front to back. When viewed from the side, they resemble thin blades.
The pelvic structure of an ape supports large muscles essential for climbing.
In contrast, human hip bones rotate sideways, forming a bowl shape. This flaring of the hip bones allows for muscle attachment critical for maintaining balance while shifting weight from one foot to the other during upright locomotion.
Nonetheless, the mechanisms behind this transformation have been elusive until now.
In a recent study, Professor Terrence Capelini from Harvard University and his team pinpointed vital genetic and developmental shifts that facilitated the evolution from the pelvis of tetraleaf monkeys to bipedalism.
“Our findings illustrate a complete mechanistic shift in human evolution,” stated Professor Capelini.
“There is no parallel to this among other primates.”
The researchers analyzed 128 samples of embryonic tissue from humans housed in museums in the US and Europe, along with nearly 20 other primate species.
These collections included specimens over 100 years old, preserved on glass slides or in bottles.
Using CT scans and histological analysis, they investigated pelvic anatomy during the early stages of development.
Their research revealed that the evolution of the human pelvis unfolded in two major phases.
Initially, the growth plate shifted 90 degrees, widening the human ilium instead of extending its height.
Following this adjustment, the timeline for embryonic bone formation was altered.
Typically, bones in the lower body develop when chondrocytes align along the long axis of the growing bone.
This cartilage becomes rigid through a process known as ossification.
At the early stages of development, similar to other primates, human growth plates formed from the head and continued to develop.
However, by day 53, the growth plate had notably shifted vertically from its initial orientation, resulting in a shorter and broader hip joint.
“When I examined my pelvis, it wasn’t initially on my radar,” Professor Capelini remarked.
“I anticipated a gradual modification to shorten and widen it, but histology indicated a complete 90-degree reversal.”
Group of Australopithecus afarensis. Image credit: Matheus Vieira.
A further significant alteration was the timeline of bone formation.
In most cases, bones develop along the primary ossification center located in the center of the bone shaft.
However, in humans, the ilium diverges from this norm, with ossification beginning at the posterior region in the sacrum and expanding radially.
This mineralization remains restricted to the peripheral layer, while internal ossification is postponed by 16 weeks, allowing bones to grow and maintain their shape during their geometric transitions.
To uncover the molecular mechanisms driving these changes, the team employed techniques like single-cell multiomics and spatial transcriptomics.
The researchers identified over 300 active genes, including three with notable roles: Sox9 and PTH1R (which control growth plate shifts) and runx2 (which governs ossification changes).
The significance of these genes is underscored by diseases arising from their dysfunction.
For example, mutations in Sox9 can lead to Campomelic dysplasia, a disorder characterized by an abnormally narrow hip joint lacking lateral flaring. Similarly, mutations in PTH1R result in narrow hip joints and various skeletal disorders.
The scientists propose that these adaptations began with the reorientation of the growth plate around the time our ancestors separated from African apes, estimated to have occurred between 5 and 8 million years ago.
They believe the pelvis has served as a focal point for evolutionary transformations over millions of years.
As brain size increased, the pelvis encountered selective pressures known as the obstetric dilemma—the trade-off between a narrow pelvis for efficient movement and a broader one for accommodating the birth of larger babies.
Researchers suspect that the delay in ossification likely occurred within the last two million years.
The oldest pelvic fossil, dated at 4.4 million years, belongs to Ardipithecus from Ethiopia—a species exhibiting a blend of upright walking and tree-climbing features, with pelvic characteristics akin to those of humans.
The renowned 3.2 million-year-old skeleton of Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis) showcases further adaptations for bipedalism, including the distinctively flaring hip blades.
“From that point onwards, all hominin fossils displayed pelvises that diverged significantly from those of earlier primates,” stated Professor Capelini.
“The implications of brain size and its subsequent changes should not be interpreted through growth models applicable to chimpanzees and unassociated primates.”
“Models should focus on the developments between humans and their own lineage.”
“Post-fetal growth occurred against the backdrop of novel methods for constructing the pelvis.”
This study is set to be published in the journal Nature.
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G. Senevilas et al. The evolution of hominin bipedal walking in two steps. Nature Published online on August 27th, 2025. doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09399-9
The Wimbledon organizer defended the implementation of AI line judges after Jack Draper claimed the technology wasn’t “100% precise.”
The UK’s first-line judge was deemed “embarrassing” and removed after colliding with 36-year-old former finalist Marin Cilic in the second round.
The 23-year-old Draper expressed his frustration with the AI-enhanced Hawk-Eye system during Thursday’s match, especially after a contested serve from his opponent went unchallenged over four sets.
“Honestly, I don’t think it’s 100% precise,” he mentioned in a post-match conference. “Some of the calls today showed marks on the court. There’s no way chalk would indicate that. I don’t believe it’s 100% precise—it’s in millimeters.”
He acknowledged that it was unfortunate the judge was removed but conceded he might have been wrong regarding a specific call.
Tournament Director Jamie Baker stood by the system’s accuracy and refrained from commenting on whether he missed the human line judge, who had been part of Wimbledon’s tradition for 147 years.
Baker stated: “The concept of live line calling is standard across the tour. It’s essential for the entire ATP tour. Two of the other Grand Slams have utilized it for four or five years.”
“What that means is the level of refinement and authentication around the system becomes increasingly specialized and robust over time.”
“The overall accuracy, reliability, and robustness of the system are on par with tennis from a moderation standpoint.”
Baker refuted claims that the electronic system influenced Ben Shelton’s decision to halt his second match, which occurred while the 22-year-old American was serving.
Shelton, ranked No. 10 in the world, was outraged at the judge’s ruling, which came at 9:31 PM due to diminishing sunlight. Baker asserted that the decision was not related to technology and that the match could continue later.
Baker remarked: “It won’t be effective if no one is able to call the lines, but we haven’t hit that threshold yet, although we are getting closer.
“It’s not just about how technology has evolved, but also about the number of cameras on each court, allowing for longer playtime with the challenge system.”
Baker noted that players were previously able to continue playing as daylight faded, but they have since struggled to manage this.
“Sometimes players liked it, sometimes they didn’t,” he said. “In reality, we have more time now that we can extend matches. But last night, we were approaching the limit, and hadn’t quite reached it yet.”
“This sport requires high-level performance at a fast pace, and when darkness falls, it becomes a challenge even for seasoned officials.”
As we age, flexibility tends to decrease. Clinicians utilize tests like “Sit down and stand” to assess older adults’ ability to rise from a chair, helping to identify risks associated with falls and frailty.
There are numerous factors contributing to decreased mobility as we age. Tendons might cause the joints to tighten, impacting the cartilage between them. Additionally, ligaments typically weaken, and muscle tightness around the joints, along with reduced synovial fluid, can exacerbate the situation.
Our muscle mass doesn’t just stay the same; it diminishes with age, particularly the quadriceps in the front of the thighs, which are crucial for standing up from a chair.
The encouraging news is that these changes can be mitigated. Engaging in regular physical activity is believed to slow down the loss of flexibility while also enhancing bone density, heart health, and mental well-being.
Studies reveal that older adults who remain physically active can achieve a broader range of motion compared to their sedentary peers. The NHS guidelines recommend that older individuals engage in strength, balance, and flexibility exercises at least twice weekly, in addition to 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity weekly (or 75 minutes of vigorous activity if they’re already active).
If you do exercise regularly, don’t forget to incorporate stretching. Yoga can be beneficial if you’re able to practice it, but even simple stretches can enhance flexibility and be performed while watching TV or chatting on the phone! It’s advisable to consult someone trained to demonstrate proper stretching techniques.
Your diet also plays a crucial role. Consuming adequate proteins helps in muscle building, particularly with nutrients like calcium and vitamin D that support bone density.
While aging does lead to less flexibility and makes standing up more challenging, there are proactive steps you can take to counteract these effects!
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Sir Keir Starmer does not create visions. But last Monday, he broke a lifelong habit. Speech at University College London. It was about AI, which he sees as “the defining opportunity of our generation.” He declared that Britain was “the land of Babbage, Loveless and Turing” and, of course, “the country that birthed the modern computer and the World Wide Web.” Please mark my words. Britain will become one of the great AI superpowers. ”
It's kind of exciting. Within days of taking office, the Prime Minister invited Matt Clifford, a clever engineer from Central Casting, to think about “how to seize the opportunity in AI''. Clifford scored 50 points. AI Opportunity Action Plan Starmer fully accepted this, saying he would “take full responsibility for the British state”. He also named Clifford AI Opportunity Advisor Supervise the implementation of the plan and report directly to him. It's only a matter of time until then solar We call him “Britain's AI emperor.”
Clifford's appointment is both predictable and puzzling. That was to be expected, as he had been hanging around government for a while: Rishi Sunak, for example, hosted the AI Safety Summit and approached him to set up the UK Safety Summit. AI safety unit. It's puzzling because he's already made so much money in technology. External Interests Register This will be a fairly long scroll. Several media and technology executives said to financial times They were concerned that Clifford, who had founded a successful investment firm with offices around the world, was being given too much influence over AI policy.
Damian Collins, a former Conservative technology secretary, said Clifford was “clearly a very capable person” but said he was “concerned about the balance of interests represented and how they are represented.” “It will be done,” he said. If Mr Starmer really believes that AI is a game-changing technology, it is strange that his chief adviser would be so involved in such an important game.
Collins was referring to a particularly hot topic. It is a routine copyright violation by tech companies that train AI models on the creative works of others without permission, approval, or payment. The latest revelations about this practice come from new, unredacted documents. US lawsuit This shows that the training dataset for Meta's Llama AI includes a huge database of pirated books collected from the internet.
Recommendation 24 of the plan calls for reform of the UK text and data mining regime. And the argument that “the current uncertainty around intellectual property (IP) is hindering innovation and undermining our broader ambitions for growth in AI and the creative industries” is a strong argument for many in these industries. made people furious. “There is no 'uncertainty' in the UK text and data mining regime,” he said. Creative Rights in the AI Coalition. “UK copyright law does not allow text or data mining for commercial purposes without a license. The only uncertainty is who will use Britain's creative crown as training material without permission and who will That's how you got it.”
Much of Clifford's plan seems sensible (albeit expensive). For example, building a national computing infrastructure for AI. Improving university research capabilities. Train tens of thousands of new AI professionals. Promote public-private partnerships to maximize the UK's interests in 'frontier' AI. Ensure strong technical and ethical standards to oversee the development and deployment of AI.
All of this is a refreshing change from the empty fuss about 'Global Britain' of the Johnson-Snak-Truss era. The plan's stated ambition to position the UK as an “AI maker rather than an AI taker” is that the UK has real potential in this area but lacks the resources to realize that potential. This suggests a candid recognition. But making that happen means we have to face two troubling truths.
The first is that this powerful technology is controlled by a small number of giant companies, none of which are based in the UK. Their power lies not only in their capital and human resources, but also in the vast physical infrastructure of data centers they own and manage. This means that any nation wishing to operate in this field must get along with them.
The UK Government needs to do a lot in this regard. The current attitude towards business is the snobbish attitude exhibited by Technology Secretary Peter Kyle, who said the Government needed to take a 'Government is' attitude.feeling humble” and uses a “national strategy” when dealing with technology giants, rather than using the threat of new legislation to influence developments in areas such as frontier artificial intelligence. In other words, the UK should treat these organizations as nation-states. Clearly, Kyle doesn't realize that appeasement is the art of being nice to the alligator in the hopes that it will eat you in the end.
Another troubling truth is that even though AI is powerful, economists like Nobel Prize winners Daron Acemoglu The general economic impact, at least in the short term, is believed to be significantly smaller than technology evangelists believe. Even worse, Economist Robert Gordon once pointed out thatgeneral-purpose technologies take a long time to have a significant impact. The message to the Prime Minister is clear. Becoming an “AI superpower” may take at least several election cycles.
Fact-checkers were confident about the target audience for this week’s news, which was delivered through Mark Zuckerberg’s selected medium. The awkward video message announced Meta’s plan to transition from professional third-party fact-checking to a user-driven “community notes” model similar to X, starting in the US.
Upon hearing the news, one fact-checker expressed concerns about Meta’s intention to please President Trump. Their public response on the matter was more tactful but conveyed the same sentiment.
Across the Atlantic, questions arose about how the European Union would respond to Mr. Meta’s decision, especially if the next US president was watching. The implications could extend beyond Europe’s borders for fact-checkers globally.
Meta’s fact-checking program, which spans 130 countries and is a significant source of funding for fact-checking worldwide, was established shortly after the 2016 US election. Despite Meta’s investment of $100 million in fact-checking efforts since then, concerns remain among fact-checkers about potential changes in the future.
The EU’s new policies will have varying effects on fact-checkers globally depending on Meta’s rollout outside the US. The company’s plans for the EU remain unclear, but there are currently “no immediate plans” to suspend fact-checking within the EU.
The EU’s regulatory framework for digital platforms, including Meta, is being tested through initiatives like the Code of Practice on Disinformation. However, enforcement and interaction with fact-checkers remain unresolved issues.
The European Commission’s response to Meta’s decision will be crucial in testing DSA principles and influencing Meta’s policies worldwide.
Overall, fact-checkers anticipate Meta will phase out third-party fact-checking globally after implementing the new system in the US. The impact on the fact-checking movement, which relies heavily on Meta’s funding, could be significant.
The future of fact-checking remains uncertain, with potential consequences for fact-checkers worldwide. Many organizations may need to scale back or close operations if Meta discontinues its support, impacting efforts to combat misinformation.
Rappler, a Philippine news site, warned that the challenges faced in the US could signify a larger struggle to preserve truth and individual agency in the face of increasing dangers.
Stephen Bartlett, a visionary entrepreneur, understands that having a vision is not enough. In partnership with Adobe Express, a quick content app, he uses carefully crafted manifestos to align with people’s goals and values to turn visions into actionable steps. This approach, known as the Manifest-o Method, provides a framework for guiding entrepreneurs in the early stages. By creating a manifesto, Bartlett aims to help people develop daily habits that bring them closer to their goals and alleviate fears about the journey.
Unlike a traditional business plan or mission statement, a manifesto goes beyond structure and focuses on belief, intent, and purpose. It serves as a daily reminder of why you embarked on your path in the first place. Bartlett, known for his work with Flight Studio, leverages Adobe Express to create manifestos for business development.
Creating a manifesto involves reflecting on core values and goals. It is a statement of intent that defines your position and objectives. Manifestos, when well-designed, carry more weight and are more enduring. Bartlett emphasizes the importance of distilling beliefs into actionable steps and making manifestos visually appealing. Creative digital tools like Adobe Express make designing manifestos easy and enjoyable.
Regularly reviewing and updating your manifesto is essential to ensure it remains a dynamic tool for growth. It should inspire you to take action and move closer to your goals. The Manifest-o method is not limited to business; it can also be applied to personal life, helping clarify values and priorities.
isEvangelion was released 10 years ago, an eternity in the world of video games. It's also one of the most compelling games of the decade, and sometimes it's not. On the surface, it's a gorgeous online progressive rock space shooter made by Bungie, the creators of the Xbox classic Halo. Gather up with some friends, deploy somewhere in the shimmering landscapes of a future solar system, and shoot people, aliens, and robots to earn better loot.
None of this is unprecedented, and maybe that's the point. You could say that Destiny's touchstones are Halo with its gunplay, World of Warcraft with its persistent online space, and (admittedly, this is a bit odd) the immortal British retailer Marks & Spencer. This last point is especially true because Destiny is a game of fluctuating destiny that seems to fascinate everyone involved in video games, whether they actually play Destiny or not. Just as many in the UK secretly know if M&S is currently trending up or down (there is no middle ground), everyone in the games industry knows if Destiny is doing well or not. Is it doing better than it has in many years? Or is it in a state of decline that is not comparable to where it was two, five, or seven years ago? Destiny is always an uneasy conversation topic for us.
Amazingly, this has been the case from the very beginning. in front The beginning. Fate met with great misfortune. Revealed as a company Long before it was announced as a fictional universe, the game was announced as SKUs and Q1 financial forecasts, not as a fun gunfighting world dreamed up by the best combat designers in the industry. When the first game finally arrived, it was seen as a beautiful epicenter of action surrounded by something that felt somewhat hastily produced. It was an early star where dust and gas hadn't yet fully solidified. Sure, if you had the right shotgun, you'd go into battle and the whole world would sing with you, but the story and lore were scattered across the game's surface as a series of trading cards, as if Homer had unleashed the Iliad on a collection of beer mugs and hidden them across various battlefields.
A great action game… Destiny was shown on a curved screen at E3 in Los Angeles in June 2014. Photo: Michael Nelson/EPA
But here's the thing: people just couldn't stop playing Destiny. From the start, nights spent online with friends couldn't have been more fun: join in, blow up stuff, win stuff, and compare your gains. Leveling up felt like something meaningful here. New loot had real personality. Set pieces unfolded beneath skyboxes so vast and intense they reminded us that, spaceships aside, Bungie's soul has always been deeply romantic.
Part of the game's enduring appeal is a series of striking images: the funereal hulk of the Traveler, an artificial moon, floating in the sky above the world's last city. Claw-like eruptions of Martian rock illuminated by sunlight turned into a barium haze through the airborne dust. But from the beginning, Bungie's games also seeped into the real world: players could view their builds outside the game, millions of raid-party WhatsApp groups sprung up overnight, and websites and YouTube channels were devoted to everything from leveling tips to reconstructing the story of a Frankenstein-style soap opera.
So for the last decade, playing Destiny has meant arguing about the game, getting annoyed and uninstalling it, then reinstalling it and spending the night engrossed in the game again. The existence of conspiracy theories means that the game means something to people. Caves with easy loot The in-game economy nearly collapsed within the first few months. Was this a bug or an intentional design flaw? Raid area with cheese spots A place where players can dish out massive amounts of damage without putting themselves in danger. Is this the sign of an unstable map, or a sign of a savvy developer generating a different kind of buzz?
Inevitably, people were nostalgic for even the Grimoire lore cards by the time Destiny 2 came out in 2017. Since then, there have been ups and downs. Death of a major character Everyone was talking about it The price of the expansion is the samePeople get tired of the drudgery, they think the raids are unfair, they understandably complain about the store, but they also understandably buy Destiny: The Official Cookbook. Complicating things is the fact that Destiny has been steeped in nostalgia from the get-go. Another final point of connection to M&S is that Destiny is an institution.
Few would argue that Destiny is a great action game, and always has been. At its heart is a core of charismatic gunplay, and what radiates outwards from there is an evocative and unforgettable twist of sci-fi, combined with Bungie's long-standing talent for sad, flashy naming conventions. This is the studio that brought us Halo levels “Pillar of Autumn” and “Silent Cartographer.” It's no wonder that the game “Destiny Weapon Name or Roxy Music Deep Cut?” remains a reliable drinking game. (It goes both ways; it's easy to imagine Bungie releasing Sentimental Fool and Mother of Pearl SMGs.)
Striking image…Destiny 2. Photo: Activision
Still, there are fluctuations. The latest expansion was hailed as one of the best in a while, but player numbers haven't increased significantly since then. Over time, Bungie has gone from questions about the cost of cosmetics to serious allegations about its internal culture; the studio has changed owners and recently suffered layoffs. Last week, Destiny 2 Steam player numbers hit all-time low.
Still, we talk about the games that are always in the news (Includes bungeeannounced that it would be publishing a developer blog tonight discussing the future of the game. Many of us still feel nostalgia for a game that was born out of nostalgia. And these two things create a powerful allure. I remember when I first played Destiny 2, long after everyone I knew had cooled off from their obsession with the game. I found a game that kept me entertained for a few minutes, but those minutes could easily turn into hours. I also found a world that felt as if it was covered in blue plaques that told of a painter from long ago who once vacationed here.
After all, Destiny as a game benefits greatly from its dialogue fallbacks. For example, when I first met Devrim Kay, Destiny's gentlemanly sniper, in person, I knew so much about him I could have been his biographer. I felt like I was in the presence of a celebrity, even though he was just another quest giver.
Bees are winged insects that feed on nectar and pollen from flowers and sometimes produce honey. There are around 20,000 species of honeybees, of which 270 live in the UK. More than 90% of honeybee species are solitary, but the remaining species, such as honeybees and bumblebees, live socially in colonies consisting of a single queen bee, female worker bees and male drones.
The largest wasp, Wallace's giant wasp, can grow up to 4cm in length, while tiny stingless wasp workers are smaller than a grain of rice. Wasps live on every continent except Antarctica, and in all habitats with flowering plants that are pollinated by insects.
Honeybees pollinate many of the plants we rely on for food, but their numbers are declining. Bee species numbers have been declining for decades and bees are now missing from a quarter of the places in the UK where they were found 40 years ago.
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How intelligent are honeybees?
Bees are highly intelligent creatures: they can count, solve puzzles and even use simple tools.
in An experimentIn a study, bees were trained to jump over three identical, evenly spaced landmarks to reach a sugar reward 300 meters away. When the number of landmarks was then reduced, the bees flew much farther; when the number of landmarks was increased, the bees landed a shorter distance away.
This suggests that the bees were counting landmarks to decide where to land.
in Another studyScientists have created a puzzle box that can be opened by twisting the lid to access sugar. Solution: Press the red tab to rotate the lid clockwise. Press the blue tab to rotate it counterclockwise. Not only can bees be trained to solve puzzles, they can also learn to solve problems themselves by watching other bees solve them.
In terms of tool use, Asian honeybees have been known to collect fresh animal waste and smear it around the hive entrance to repel predatory Asian giant hornets. This may smell a bit, but it also counts as tool use.
Scientists have previously shown that honeybees can learn to use tools in the lab. Fecal discovery in 2020 This is the first observation of tool use by wild honeybees.
Honeybee Anatomy
Image credit: Daniel Bright
The head includes:
1. Two compound eyes 2. Three small, lenticular eyespots (called ocelli) 3. Antennae that detect smell, taste, sound, and temperature 4. Chewing jaws, often used as nest building material 5. A proboscis that sucks up nectar, honey, and water
The thorax consists of:
6. Bee body 7. 3 pairs of legs 8. Two pairs of wings
The abdomen contains the following:
9. An esophagus, or honey stomach, for transporting nectar to the nest 10. Stinger – A sharp organ used to inject venom
How do bees communicate?
Honeybees have two primary modes of communication: expressive dance and expressive olfaction.
Honeybees use their famous “wag dance” to guide hive-mates to nectar- and pollen-rich flowers. Returning from a successful scouting mission, a worker bee scurries to one of the hive's vertical combs and begins tracing a figure-eight pattern.
Honeybees doing the “tail dance” – Photo credit: Kim Taylor / naturepl.com
When it reaches the straight center of its shape, it vibrates its abdomen and flaps its wings, a motion that makes the bird's wings wag like a tail.
The length of the tail flick indicates the distance to the flower, with each second increasing the distance traveled by 100 metres.Communicating direction is more complicated but can be done by the bee orienting its body in the direction of the food, relative to the sun.
The intensity of the dance indicates the abundance of food sources, and the dancers also release a cocktail of pheromones that spur nestmates into action: Colony members watch the dance, smell it with their antennae, and then set off in search of flowers.
There are other dances too, such as the “round dance” where the hips are not shaken and is used to indicate the position of flowers. Nearby, forager bees perform their “trembling dance” to gather their swarm members together to collect nectar from worker bees.
How do bees travel?
A honeybee can travel miles to find food in distant flower fields, yet still reliably find its way home – and with a brain the size of a sesame seed! So how does it do this?
First, they use the sun as a compass. Honeybees' eyes are sensitive to polarized light and can penetrate thick clouds, meaning that even on cloudy days, honeybees can “see” the sun and use it as a guide. Combining the position of the sun with the time indications of the animals' internal clocks allows honeybees to figure out both direction and distance.
Bees also monitor how much the sun moves while they are migrating, so that when they return to the hive they can tell their hive-mates where the food is relative to the sun's current position, rather than where it was when they found it.
Finally, honeybees are known to be able to sense magnetic fields through some sort of magnetic structure in their abdomen, so researchers believe they may also use the Earth's magnetic field to help them navigate.
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What does a bumblebee nest look like?
Bumblebees are plump, hairy bees that look like they can't fly. There are 24 species in the UK, of which 6 are parasitic and 18 are social.
Social species, such as garden bumblebees, form colonies and nest in protected places out of direct sunlight – good places include abandoned rodent burrows, compost piles, birdhouses, tree holes and spaces under sheds.
Photo credit: John Waters / naturepl.com
Unlike honeybee nests, which are elaborate structures with hexagonal cells, bumblebee nests are messy structures of cells, often insulated with leaves or animal fur, and designed to house small numbers of bees (about 40 to 400) during one nesting season.
In contrast, a honeybee hive can house up to 40,000 bees and last for many years.
Parasitic bumblebees, such as the giant cuckoo bee, don't build their own nests – instead, the queen invades other bumblebee nests, kills the queen and lays her own eggs, which are then raised by the local worker bees.
When did honeybees evolve?
Hornets are said to be cruel and are universally disliked, while honeybees are seen as benevolent and widely revered, yet honeybees evolved from hornets.
Bees belong to the order Hymenoptera, which also includes sawflies, ants, and wasps. The oldest Hymenoptera fossils date to the Triassic Period, about 224 million years ago. Wasps appeared in the Jurassic Period, 201 to 145 million years ago, and honeybees appeared in the Cretaceous Period, 145 to 66 million years ago.
Trigona prisca was one of the first species. Stingless bees discovered immortalized in amber in New JerseyThey flew about 85 million years ago, and the key specimens were female, worker bees with small abdomens, indicating that some bee species had already formed complex social structures.
The first animal-pollinated flowers had already evolved by this time and were pollinated by beetles, but the evolution of bees prompted the evolution of flowering plants, which prompted the evolution of bees, and so on.
This is one of the best examples of co-evolution: flowers evolved nectar and a funnel-shaped head, while bees evolved a long tongue to drink the nectar and specialized hairs to transport the pollen.
Can humans survive without bees?
Probably not, but the disappearance of honeybees would pose a serious threat to global food security and nutrition.
One third of the food we eat relies on insects like bees to pollinate the plants they grow, transporting pollen between them – from staples like potatoes and onions to fruits like apples and watermelon to condiments like basil and coriander.
For example, coffee and cocoa trees depend on honeybees for pollination, as do around 80% of Europe's wildflowers.
Bees are also a food source for many birds, mammals and insects, so if they were to disappear, their role in the ecosystem would be lost, with knock-on effects for many other animals and plants.
It's bad news, then, that honeybees are in global decline due to habitat loss, intensive farming, pollution, pesticide use, disease and climate change. Recent studies have found that the global decline of pollinating insects is already causing around 500,000 premature human deaths per year by reducing healthy food supplies.
What should I plant to make my garden bee-friendly?
Bees navigate by their position relative to the sun. – Photo credit: Getty Images
Most bee species aren't too picky about where they get their pollen and nectar from, so plants like lavender, hollyhocks and marigolds attract a variety of bees.
But other species are more specialized and depend on fewer plants. These bees are often rare, and if the plants they need to survive disappear, local bee populations can be at risk.
Raise yellow-flowered bees for yellow-flowered bees. Yellow-flowered bees are medium-sized bees that frequent this plant in search of pollen and aromatic oils. Females use the oils to waterproof their nests, which are often found on the banks of ponds and rivers.
Lamb's ear is an easy-to-grow evergreen perennial that is a favorite of wool-carder wasps. Female wool-carder wasps use the soft, hairy leaf fibers to line their nests, and males defend territories that contain these plants.
Another easy way is to let your grass grow long and embrace the weeds.
Dandelions and related plants like honeysuckle and chickweed are favorites of pantaloon bees, so named because the long hairs on the female's hind legs, covered with pollen, look like clown trousers. Buttercups, in turn, attract large pincer bees and sleepy carpenter bees.
5 Common Myths About Bees…Bullshit
1. Bees are too heavy to fly – This myth dates back to the 1934 publication of Antoine Magnin's “Book of Insects.” Magnin mistakenly believed that bees' wings were too small to generate the lift needed for flight. Obviously, he was wrong.
2. All bees sting – Male honeybees cannot sting; the stinger is a modified egg-laying organ that only females have. There are also about 550 species of stingless bees, but their stingers are too small to be used for defense.
3. If a bee stings, it will die. – Of all the bees that can sting, only the honeybee dies after stinging. The barbs on the bee's stinger get stuck in the victim's skin and when the bee tries to escape, its abdomen bursts, causing a fatal injury.
4. All bees make honey – Most bees don't make honey. In fact, there are only eight species of bees that produce large amounts of sweet nectar. There are hundreds of other species of bees that produce honey, but in much smaller amounts.
5. All bees are hard workers – As busy as honeybees are, aren't they? The queen bee lays up to 1,500 eggs a day. The worker bees forage, feed the larvae, and clean the hive. But the drones don't have as much work to do in a day. Their only role is to mate with the virgin queen bee.
T A few years ago, a game developer’s tormented ex-boyfriend published a vindictive article accusing her of trading sex to get positive reviews for her indie game. This took her to 4chan, the most disgusting corner of the internet in 2014, and a harassment campaign began, targeting all women working in video game development and gaming press, as well as her LGBTQ+ community in the industry. It has spread to. Sensing the bloodshed, his YouTube “alt-right” provocateurs and Steve Bannon’s Breitbart jumped on the bandwagon and quickly took control. And once this fabricated outrage became known, Gamergate mutated into one of the first front lines of modern society. A culture war sparked by social media, misogyny, and weaponized youth grievances. Many of those tactics became part of President Trump’s campaign strategy.
This week, 16 narrative design studios found themselves at the center of a conspiracy theory that holds them responsible for an insidious epidemic of “funny behavior” in modern video games. The group, which has more than 200,000 followers on the PC game store Steam and thousands of followers on its Discord chat channel, is the group that Sweet Baby Inc. has asked game developers to change the physical appearance, ethnicity, and They believe it is secretly forcing them to change their sexuality to fit the “woke world.” ideology. They believe that Sweet Baby has secretly created and controlled nearly every popular video game of the past five years, keeping straight white men out. As President Trump heads to the campaign trail again, this is part of a broader far-right panic about diversity and inclusion, resulting in regressive anti-women and anti-woke bills already being proposed in the US and other countries. is being brought about.
Pride Support … Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Photo provided by: Sony Computer Entertainment
Of course, the agency in question has done nothing of the sort. This is just a story development studio, the equivalent of a video game script doctor, working with game developers to make sure the plot makes sense and the characters aren’t embarrassingly disconnected. The consultancy’s mission is to “make games more engaging, more fun, more meaningful, and more inclusive.” For example, developers can’t dictate that a game feature a black female protagonist. I don’t have the power to dictate anything. But employees still bear the brunt of the online mob’s wrath. They are anonymized, threatened and abused online.
Ten years ago, it was female gaming journalists and critics who were at the forefront of the firefight. This time I’m a narrative designer. But the conspiracy theorists’ message is the same. There is no diversity in the game. If you are a woman, gay, or person of color working in this industry, you should expect the worst.
Nathan Grayson aftermath and Alyssa Mercante Kotaku They investigated the origins and spread of the Sweet Baby conspiracy theory. Its supporters paint a picture of the consultancy’s ludicrous ties to BlackRock and a funding crisis affecting the gaming industry as a whole. This is not the first time since Gamergate that this kind of harassment has spread. Depressingly, systematic mistreatment of game developers has now become somewhat commonplace, especially when they do something as bold as incorporating a Pride flag into Spider-Man’s Manhattan or taking the time. Masu. Implementing MOD support For Baldur’s Gate 3. All his 91% of developers investigated Last year’s Game Developers Conference said player harassment was a problem, with 42% calling it a “very serious” problem.
When Gamergate was happening, the silence of much of the video game industry was deafening. Instead of coming to the defense of those targeted, nearly everyone who wasn’t directly attacked by the Gamergate mob tried to stick their fingers in their ears and pretend nothing was happening. Media publishers, game developers, and publishers alike are motivated by fear of making the situation worse and alienating what they fear is a significant portion of their audience. As a result, women were unable to speak up in defense of women until it was too late. not at all. IGN was the most popular gaming website in the world at the time. published A surprisingly weak movement of bipartisanship about “recent unpleasant events,” one could not even call the movement by name.
The situation did not subside because the gaming industry did not have a decisive voice. Inaction did not deter the mob. Those who have been harassed in some cases and forced out of their homes or workplaces have simply been left feeling alone, enraged, and often fearful. The main targets at the time were female developers, journalists, and commentators. This is a gathering of narrative consultants.
In the decade since Gamergate, the culture wars instigated on gamer forums have spread and contaminated nearly every aspect of our lives. The last decade has taught us that these people aren’t going away. There may always be people who believe that the mere presence of women and minorities in video games, Star Wars, or the halls of cultural and political power is meaningless. This is an insult and a symptom of the “woke virus.”
“Alan Wake 2” developer Remedy Entertainment has denied accusations that story production company Sweet Baby ensured the main character would be a black woman. Photo courtesy of Remedy Entertainment
But we also learned that ignoring them doesn’t help. That will only make the situation worse. The people who work at Sweet Baby shouldn’t be left to suffer because of the studio that employs them. Independent developers are getting braver in speaking out on social media these days: ‘Alan Wake 2’ director Posted A conspiracy theory that Sweet Baby forced developers to change the ethnicity of its characters is “absolutely not true”. and Mary Kenny, associate director of Marvel’s Spider-Man developer Insomniac Games. tweeted a strong denial. But companies themselves need to follow suit. Publishers and developers who have worked with Sweet Baby Inc include Warner Bros. Games and PlayStation’s Santa Monica Studios. Where can I find their support? Are they going to publicly protect those who contributed to the multi-million dollar game from false accusations, or are they going to let the trolls control the narrative?
No one is forcing diversity into video games. It’s happening naturally as players and developers themselves become more diverse. Gamergate didn’t blackmail women out of video games ten years ago, and we won’t be blackmailed now. The gaming industry knows that, no matter what some struggling gamers think, a wider range of content, made with contributions from a wider range of people and featuring a wider range of characters, is good for creativity and good for business. Now we must make that support fully and clearly articulated.
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