Seals playing computer games for science reveal how they navigate in murky water
One by one, Nick, Luca and Miro took their places in front of a screen at a German research lab to participate in a video game for science.
The task was straightforward. While viewing a simulation of moving through the ocean, the subjects would touch a red target on the left if they thought they were moving left, and a red target on the right if they thought they were moving right — an action these creatures learned by being rewarded with fish.
Using a series of dots streaming across a black screen that mimicked particles in murky water, researchers observed whether harbor seals used optic flow, or the movement of objects across one's field of vision, to determine the direction in which they are moving, according to a May 29 study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.
Harbor seals are especially adept at navigating open water, which can be 'a strangely claustrophobic experience' for humans as our view drops to just a few centimeters, according to an article published in the Journal of Experimental Biology about the study.
Seals are known to use their highly sensitive and dexterous whiskers to navigate and hunt, but the role of visual perception is less studied.
The team designed three computer simulations. The first simulated a seal moving through the open sea with dots coming at them; the second simulated the sea floor passing beneath the seal; and the last simulated the sea surface above the seal's head, according to the article.
Three humans participated in the simulation for skill comparison, according to the study.
The seals' heading accuracy was 'comparable, but slightly inferior to the heading accuracy of humans and Rhesus macaques (a species of monkey),' according to the study.
'The (seals) were perfectly capable of determining which direction they were traveling in based simply on the dots streaming in their view; exactly as the cloudy water, seabed or water surface would appear to move when they are swimming,' the article said.
___
© 2025 The Charlotte Observer.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
American Military News
5 hours ago
- American Military News
Seals playing computer games for science reveal how they navigate in murky water
One by one, Nick, Luca and Miro took their places in front of a screen at a German research lab to participate in a video game for science. The task was straightforward. While viewing a simulation of moving through the ocean, the subjects would touch a red target on the left if they thought they were moving left, and a red target on the right if they thought they were moving right — an action these creatures learned by being rewarded with fish. Using a series of dots streaming across a black screen that mimicked particles in murky water, researchers observed whether harbor seals used optic flow, or the movement of objects across one's field of vision, to determine the direction in which they are moving, according to a May 29 study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology. Harbor seals are especially adept at navigating open water, which can be 'a strangely claustrophobic experience' for humans as our view drops to just a few centimeters, according to an article published in the Journal of Experimental Biology about the study. Seals are known to use their highly sensitive and dexterous whiskers to navigate and hunt, but the role of visual perception is less studied. The team designed three computer simulations. The first simulated a seal moving through the open sea with dots coming at them; the second simulated the sea floor passing beneath the seal; and the last simulated the sea surface above the seal's head, according to the article. Three humans participated in the simulation for skill comparison, according to the study. The seals' heading accuracy was 'comparable, but slightly inferior to the heading accuracy of humans and Rhesus macaques (a species of monkey),' according to the study. 'The (seals) were perfectly capable of determining which direction they were traveling in based simply on the dots streaming in their view; exactly as the cloudy water, seabed or water surface would appear to move when they are swimming,' the article said. ___ © 2025 The Charlotte Observer. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Forbes
9 hours ago
- Forbes
The Internet Is Wrong About The World's ‘Fastest' Snake — A Biologist Explains
Ask Google what the fastest snake in the world is and you'll likely get an answer that looks something like this: The sidewinder rattlesnake is generally considered the fastest snake in the world, reaching speeds of up to 18 mph. The black mamba and the eastern brown snake are also very fast, reaching speeds of 12 mph. This is incorrect, for a reason I'll explain in a minute. Ask ChatGPT the same thing and you'll get a better answer, but still not the correct one: The fastest snake in the world is the black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis). Key Facts: While many snakes are excellent at striking quickly, the black mamba holds the record for sustained land speed. Neither of these answers are correct. But, if I were to put my money on the black mamba or the sidewinder in a hypothetical snake race, I'd wager on the black mamba. Simply put, the kinematics of sidewinding motion are not optimized for speed, as explained in a recent paper published in the Journal of Experimental Biology. Biomechanical research clocks the sidewinder topping out at around 2.2 mph on the ground. Thus, the average person at a normal walking pace would have no issue steering clear of this venomous species. The black mamba is considerably faster, but still would be no match for the world's fastest snake – or, fastest group of snakes, I should say – which rely on a completely different method of locomotion: gliding. There are five species of gliding snakes in the world, all belonging to the genus Chrysopelea. Here's an overview of each. The paradise flying snake (Chrysopelea paradisi) is a master of aerial locomotion. Native to Southeast Asia, this snake can launch itself from treetops and flatten its body into a wing-like shape, allowing it to 'fly' through the air for distances of up to 100 feet or more. While its ground speed isn't particularly impressive, what makes this snake remarkable is its ability to move faster through the air than any snake can on the ground. Its gliding motion can reach speeds up to 25 mph depending on launch height and body size, according to research published in the Journal of Experimental Biology. In addition to flattening its body, the snake enhances its gliding performance by performing lateral undulations in midair, a behavior often described as 'swimming through the air.' The golden flying snake (Chrysopelea ornata) is another skilled glider, though slightly less proficient than its close relative, the paradise flying snake. Found across much of southern Asia, the golden flying snake shares similar flying mechanics: it flattens its ribs and forms a concave shape to create lift. It's often seen leaping from the treetops in search of prey or to escape predators. Studies show it's capable of adjusting its trajectory mid-flight, allowing for agile, controlled movement that rivals the ability of other gliding animals such as gliding squirrels and lizards. In one of the first experimental studies on Chrysopelea gliding, researchers observed a golden flying snake launch from a 135-foot (41-meter) tower, execute a 180-degree turn, and land back on the same structure. The banded flying snake (Chrysopelea pelias) is another forest-dwelling species found across Southeast Asia, from southern Thailand to Java and eastward to Borneo. Like its relatives, it displays remarkable aerial agility, though its gliding performance remains relatively understudied. It typically measures under 3 feet (1 meter) in length. As with all Chrysopelea species, it is a mildly venomous colubrid, using rear fangs to deliver venom that poses little threat to humans – unlike front-fanged species such as the aforementioned black mamba or sidewinder rattlesnake, whose venom is far more potent. Endemic to Sulawesi and the Molucca Islands of Indonesia, the Moluccan flying snake (Chrysopelea rhodopleuron) is one of the lesser-studied members of its genus. However, its anatomy suggests it shares the same gliding adaptations, and anecdotal field reports indicate it is also an adept aerial traveler. Like its relatives, it is likely an active, arboreal, daytime hunter of lizards and other small vertebrates – capable of gliding through the air in pursuit of prey or to evade predators at speeds that would be impossible to achieve on the ground. Evolutionarily, it is one of the oldest members of the genus, with genetic estimates suggesting it diverged from its relatives around 20 million years ago. The Sri Lankan flying snake (Chrysopelea taprobanica) is found only in Sri Lanka and southern India, where it overlaps with its more widespread relative, the golden flying snake. Described in 1943, it is the most recently recognized member of the genus, and little is known about it beyond its distribution. To date, its gliding abilities remain unstudied. Are you an animal lover who owns a pet, perhaps even a pet snake (the non-flying kind)? Take the science-backed Pet Personality Test to know how well you know your little friend.
Medscape
2 days ago
- Medscape
Small Ear-Wax Sample, Big Diagnostic Clues
A recent BBC report suggests that cerumen, commonly known as earwax, may harbor biomarkers to aid in the diagnosis and monitoring of conditions such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and metabolic disorders. Cerumen Profile The primary function of cerumen is to keep the external auditory canal clean and lubricated, preventing invasion by bacteria, fungi, and insects. Beyond this, cerumen may reflect systemic metabolism by concentrating a broader array of compounds than blood, urine, sweat, and tears. Its relative stability allows the accumulated cerumen to provide long-term snapshots of metabolic changes. Disease Associations Researchers have defined genetically determined wet and dry cerumen phenotypes. In the US, Caucasian, African American, and German women with wet cerumen faced roughly four times the risk of dying from breast cancer compared with Japanese and Taiwanese women with dry cerumen. The study found that Japanese women with breast cancer were more likely to carry the wet-cerumen allele than were healthy controls. However, large-scale studies in Germany, Australia, and Italy failed to confirm these associations. A recent analysis reported that patients with Ménière's disease had lower levels of three fatty acids in the cerumen compared with healthy controls — the first biomarker identified for that disorder. In a 2019 study led by Nelson Roberto Antoniosi Filho, PhD (Federal University of Goiás Goiânia in Brazil), researchers analyzed cerumen samples from 52 patients with lymphoma, carcinoma, or leukemia and 50 healthy volunteers, using a method that identifies volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The researchers identified 27 VOCs that served as diagnostic fingerprints for cancer, predicting the cancer status with 100% accuracy. The assay could not distinguish among cancer types, indicating that these VOCs represent a general response to malignant cells. Another investigation by the same group showed that cerumen analysis can detect metabolic disturbances in premalignant stages when cells exhibit dysplastic changes that may lead to cancer but remain nonmalignant, potentially enabling much earlier intervention. The team is also investigating whether metabolic alterations caused by neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, can be detected in the cerumen. Diagnostic Tool Antoniosi Filho and colleagues proposed that cancer, as a mitochondrial metabolic disorder, releases VOCs that accumulate in cerumen, allowing differentiation between healthy and cancerous individuals via an assay they call the cerumenogram. The aim was to develop a cerumenogram as a diagnostic tool to accurately predict certain cancers from a small cerumen sample. Clinical Adoption Hospital Amaral Carvalho in Jaú, São Paulo — a national reference center for oncology and bone marrow transplantation — has recently implemented cerumenograms for cancer diagnosis and monitoring. Future Directions An April 2025 paper in Scientific Reports by Antoniosi Filho concluded that the cerumenogram could: 1. Identify oncologic risk by detecting premalignant cells before cancer onset, introducing a novel screening modality 2. Show that mitochondrial impairment in premalignant cells — such as hypermetabolic inflammation and dysplasia — produces the same VOC biomarkers as malignant cells, distinct from those in benign lesions, opening new paths for risk management and early intervention 3. Correlate cerumenogram findings with established imaging techniques such as 2-deoxy-2-[fluorine-18] fluoro-D-glucose PET/CT (18F-FDG PET/CT) and gallium-68 PSMA PET/CT, demonstrating alignment with clinical results while offering a noninvasive, lower-cost alternative 4. Monitor treatment response and cancer remission, supporting assessment of therapeutic efficacy and cellular return to normal 5. Confirm metabolic indicators of malignancy to guide clinical decisions alongside imaging and biopsy 6. Drive the development of targeted therapies aimed at metabolites overproduced in malignant conditions. In conclusion, the cerumenogram may serve as a valuable assay for evaluating precancerous indicators, cancer progression, and remission, with the potential to reduce mortality, alleviate patient suffering, and lower disease-related costs. Congratulations to Nelson Roberto Antoniosi Filho, PhD, and his team.
