Good morning all,

We recently considered bat echolocation as a model for sensory coevolution.  During our discussions, we noted that many animals have sensory capabilities outside of the range of humans.

How about humans who can perform echolocation?

https://phys.org/news/2018-04-humans-echolocation.html

There are a small number (few dozen) people in the world who have developed some level of proficiency at echolocation for navigation.  Daniel Kish is the most famous person with these abilities (but there are others):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8lztr1tu4o

In all of these cases, the ability came about after a loss of vision.  Our human visual cortices make up a huge part of our brains, and once they are freed from visual responsibilities, it seems that they can be co-opted (at least in part) for other uses.  This neural flexibility is well-known, as it is the basis for the recovery that is possible from brain trauma, including stroke.  Blind persons who read Braille are known to have some expanded touch sensitivity in visual areas of the brain, and sensory re-mapping is known to occur in persons with high-levels of musical training, or in new mothers nursing infants.  Still, the development of echolocation as a sensory capability is quite different, in that it adds to the human sensory repertoire, not simply expands upon an existing sense.

There are lots of interesting articles about human echolocation, including:

https://www.sciencealert.com/humans-can-echolocate-like-bats-and-whales-and-we-ve-finally-figured-out-how-it-works
https://www.livescience.com/39231-humans-can-learn-to-echolocate.html
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2145962-this-is-how-some-blind-people-are-able-to-echolocate-like-bats/

Next time you find yourself in a dark room, you might be tempted to give it a try!  I think that I will stay close to the light switch...

Have a great weekend -
Dr. Nealen

Good morning everyone,

In my scans of the science news, I often come across articles that overlap with our course topics.  I'll share some of these with you, in the hopes that you find them interesting, and with a goal of broadening our conversations.

Today's news comes from a report about animal-based espionage, via training programs conducted by the CIA during the height of the Cold War.  Animals are often highly adept at trained behaviors, and instinctual behaviors (like homing) can be co-opted for specialized tasks.  Still, this report suggests that there was little direct benefit from these programs - or, perhaps they are not telling us everything, as much remains classified.

So, the next time you see a pigeon, cat, or dolphin(!) nearby, remember: they may be watching you as well...
 
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49692534

Have a great weekend -
Dr. Nealen

Good morning all,

Just passing along here an interesting news article, linking behavior and conservation.

Human have long associated with animals, and in doing so have shaped many of their behaviors.  Here's an example of a detrimental effect: a semi-domestication that changes foraging behavior and seed dispersal in endangered New Zealand weka:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/29/science/weka-birds-seeds-new-zealand.html

This kind of change illustrates the behavioral flexibility many species employ, particularly for adapting their own ecology to exploit the humans around them.  In the long run, these sorts of associations can cause evolutionary change in brain and behavior (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/09/humans-shaped-dog-brains/), in ways that can dramatically alter the natural ecology of species.  This is also an important reminder that interacting too much with endangered species can endanger them ever more if they imprint too strongly on humans - hence the need for 'panda suits' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaLP6S9ZHQ4 - how's that for a day job?).

See you tomorrow for review of the material for our first exam.  I'm not planning a formal lecture; instead, I will review any material on which you have questions.

Sincerely,
Dr. Nealen