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Bumblebees Become the First Insects Proven to Perceive Time

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For decades, scientists dismissed insects as creatures of instinct or biological automatons that buzzed and foraged through reflex alone. But a new study suggests that the humble bumblebee may be far more perceptive than once believed, capable of something previously thought to be limited to larger-brained species—processing time itself.

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Pigs Can Play Video Games? Study Shows ‘Remarkable’ Level Of Mental Flexibility In Species

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According to a new study published in ‘Frontiers In Psychology,’ pigs are proving to have a remarkable level of behavioral and mental flexibility after scientists tested the ability of four pigs to play a simple joystick-enabled video game. Each animal in the study showed some level of understanding how the device and game worked. 

The study specifically involved two Yorkshire pigs named Hamlet and Omelette, and two Panepinto micro pigs named Ebony and Ivory. All four animals were trained to approach and manipulate a joystick with their snouts in front of a computer monitor for the first phase of the study. They then transitioned into learning about playing the video game itself; the goal of the simple game was to move a cursor, using the joystick, towards up to four targets located on the sides of the screen. 

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Each pig performed the tasks much more efficiently than expected, leading the researchers to believe that the pigs knew their movements with the joystick impacted the movements on the screen as well. Dr. Candace Croney was the lead author of the study along with co-author Sarah T. Boysen. 

“It’s no small feat for an animal to grasp the concept that the behavior they’re performing is having an effect elsewhere. That pigs can do this to any degree should give us pause as to what else they are capable of learning and how such learning may impact them.”

Scientists were already aware that pigs had the capability to learn, as many farmers train their pigs like dogs to respond to commands like “come” and “sit,” but the complex behaviors that they showed with playing the video game is beyond what anyone has seen before. 

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According to Croney, the team used “food to teach and reinforce behaviors, but also found that social contact could strongly influence their persistence. For instance, when the machine dispensing treats failed to work, the pigs continued to make correct responses using only verbal and tactile cues. And only verbal encouragement seemed to help the animals during the most challenging tasks.”

“This sort of study is important because, as with any sentient beings, how we interact with pigs and what we do to them impacts and matters to them. We therefore have an ethical obligation to understand how pigs acquire information, and what they are capable of learning and remembering, because it ultimately has implications for how they perceive their interactions with us and their environments,” Croney explained. 

While the pigs may have not been able to match the same level of skill as say a chimpanzee when it comes to behavioral analysis, their demonstration of being able to learn a task with positive reinforcement is an amazing advancement in the scientific community. On a larger scale, the authors of the study say that now we can shift to seeing if computer programs can be used to better communicate with pigs directly on their wants and needs.

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Google Announces New Line of Products at Made by Google 2019 Event

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Today, Google held a press event during which they discussed their new line of products, as well as their advancements in engineering and design, with a particular focus on how progress in artificial intelligence and machine learning has affected their business.

Google began the event by discussing the company’s mission, which is to help people in their lives without intruding on their daily lives. Google calls this concept “ambient computing,” by which they mean interactions with computers that exist in the background, rather than ones that occupy the user’s attention by being obvious and intrusive. Google claims that this concept informs the development of all of their products, and stated that all of the products announced at the event would demonstrate the value of this approach to computing.

The first product Google described was the Pixel Buds, a pair of wireless earbuds with advanced software functionality. The Pixel Buds include integration with the Google Assistant, and use bone conduction technology to recognize the user’s voice even in loud environments. They also work several rooms away from the device to which they are wirelessly connected, allowing for greater freedom and flexibility, and include audio pass-through features to enable users to remain present in their environment even while listening to music. The Pixel Buds will cost $179, and will launch in Spring 2020.

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Next, Google talked about the importance of sustainability and environmental consciousness in their company’s philosophy. The company stated that they would commit to investing $150 million into renewable energy sources, and spoke about their commitment to incorporate recycled plastic in their products. Google also spoke of its new video game streaming platform, which requires only a controller and a compatible device, cutting back on hardware costs and waste. They introduced the controller they designed for this specific purpose, which was inspired by the versatile design of kitchen knives for professional chefs.

Google then introduced the Pixelbook Go, an affordable laptop, which is available for pre-order and will cost $649. The company quickly moved on to talk about its updates to Google Nest, a smart home system designed to seamlessly incorporate technology into home life. Google stressed its commitment to security and privacy, describing how third-party developers would have to meet certain requirements in order to enable compatibility with Google Nest products. The Google Nest Hub Next acts as a standalone tablet to be placed on top of the kitchen counter, for instance, and allows users to dynamic move content from one display to another within the home. Google described an update to its Google Home Mini, including advanced artificial intelligence processors and the option to mount the device on the wall. They also described Nest Aware, a camera-based surveillance system for the home, and talked about how smoke alarm features would be integrated into their products. The last Google Home product the company discussed was Nest WiFi, a router system for creating mesh networks within the home.

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Google then discussed the Google Pixel 4, the company’s flagship smartphone which has been completely redesigned. The first feature of the phone the company discussed was its built-in radar sensor, which is used for facial recognition and gesture recognition. The company described their efforts in radar technology as a way to introduce natural human body language as a way of interacting with computers, and described how the Google Assistant is more deeply integrated into the phone’s operating system, again emphasizing the company’s commitment to privacy and ensuring users have control over their data. One example of this is the company’s new Recorder app, which automatically records and transcribes audio on the device, even when it’s not connected to the Internet.

Google described the display of the Pixel 4 as “visually indistinguishable from perfect,” and it is the first phone to feature a display with a 90 Hz refresh rate. Additionally, the company claimed the phone’s camera was at the top of its class, and discussed how the company invested into “computational photography,” which is software that improves the visual fidelity of data captured by the image sensor. Computational photography generally involves combining several images into one, reducing noise and expanding the dynamic range of photographs. Computational photography also enables high-resolution digital zoom, and real-time previews of HDR images. Additionally, computational photography allows for more accurate automatic white balancing and approximation of the depth-of-field effect, including bokeh simulation, and improving the detail of night shots, including the ability to capture stars in the night sky. The phone will start shipping on October 24, and will cost $799.

Overall, the range of products announced at this year’s event was somewhat limited, as the updates to the Google Home products seemed fairly minor, with limited appeal. While the Pixel Buds seem impressive, there is strong competition in the wireless earbud market from Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, and Samsung, and the Pixel Buds don’t feature any truly unique capabilities. Google didn’t go into too much detail about its upcoming Pixel 4, but the smartphone was by far the most interesting product described today, as the company promises their new phone will integrate hardware and software features to provide the best Android experience on the market.

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Nootropics: Scientific Breakthrough or Snake Oil?

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It sounds like a concept straight out of a science fiction film: pills or drinks that improve your brain’s ability to focus, concentrate, remember, and learn, improving your capacity for productivity. For centuries, people have sold products that claim to offer these and other benefits, and nearly all of them are now widely understood to cause a placebo effect at best and harmful side effects at worst. But nootropics, marketed by brands such as Trubrain and Neurohacker, differ from these products as their manufacturers claim that their formulations are derived from the cutting edge of neuroscience. That being said, consumers should exercise care when selecting a drug or supplement, particularly ones that were not prescribed by a doctor for treatment of a medical condition. As such, it’s a good idea to do some research before investing money and potentially your health into a cognitive-enhancing supplement.

As the category of nootropics, which simply refers to substances that may improve cognitive function, is a broad one, it is useful to understand the differences between various drugs and supplements that fall under this category. You may be surprised to learn that caffeine, which most people consume every day, is considered a nootropic, as are Adderall and Ritalin, prescription drugs used to treat ADHD and other mental illnesses. As such, some nootropics are clearly quite safe while others can be very dangerous when used improperly. While many nootropics are only legally available with a prescription, most reputable doctors won’t write a prescription for a drug to improve a patient’s cognitive ability if they have no underlying illness. Modafinil, for instance, is a prescription drug used to treat narcolepsy which is thought by nootropics enthusiasts to improve executive functioning, attention and memory, and has been shown to have mild efficacy in these areas, though more research needs to be done to determine whether taking modafinil is safe in the long term.

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Other nootropics are available off-the-shelf or online without a prescription, and while these products are more likely to be safe, their effectiveness has not been demonstrated to the degree of scientific rigor necessary to satisfy the medical community. These products tend to feature a blend of widely available supplements, like taurine, l-theanine, and l-tyrosine, and claim to “fuel cognition while supporting long-term brain health,” in the case of Neurohacker’s Qualia Mind product. Oftentimes, these nootropic blends will include caffeine and a wide range of vitamins in addition to ingredients derived from herbs like ashwagandha and ginkgo biloba. While the marketing associated with popular nootropics sounds enticing, it’s worth noting that because they are classified as supplements rather than as drugs, most commonly available nootropics are not approved by the FDA, and as such the manufacturer’s claims are not legally held to a high scientific standard. 

Most people are probably best off sticking to caffeine as their performance-enhancing drug of choice

In fact, some studies show that many common nootropics are not effective whatsoever. A 2015 meta-analysis found that actual mental performance was not improved when taking many popular nootropics, particularly in healthy people, and another study found that nootropics could even cause psychological damage, especially in people who have some form of mental illness or who are taking certain prescription drugs which can interact with nootropics destructively. As a result of an overall lack of scientific support, most doctors will not recommend their patients try nootropics, and instead point to other things that could improve mental performance. Having a good, balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and exercising have all been shown to improve various aspects of life, including cognitive performance, and as such anyone considering trying nootropics should first evaluate whether they can improve these areas of their life instead.

Given the general lack of strong scientific support for nootropics, their recent explosion in popularity seems surprising. One possible explanation for this is the placebo effect, which causes people who expect a particular result from a drug to believe they are experiencing this result. Given the highly subjective nature of the experiences in question, the placebo effect could be particularly potent among nootropics proponents, as all of the changes one expects to observe from nootropics are mental, not physical. Another explanation is that some nootropics do in fact work, but science has yet to catch up with the results. In any case, it’s always a good idea to talk to a doctor before introducing changes that could affect your health. Most people are probably best off sticking to caffeine as their performance-enhancing drug of choice and making sure they are living a healthy lifestyle.