Biological, social and economic schemes are some of the real-world systems we are most familiar with. These systems evolve all the time. And the dynamics of all such systems have one trait. They show markedly augmented levels of activity over short periods of time (“bursts”) followed by long periods of inactivity. In social communities, the enhancement of connections between individuals occurs in “bursts”, rather than in a steady stream. Maurizio Porfirim (an expert in several types of engineering) proposed that the dynamics in turn affect other phenomena, such as the spread of disease. There is an assumption that epidemics spread either much faster or much slower than individuals build social connections. This is seldom true, as people can travel any distance in a few hours, effectively spreading many pathogens. The tendency to form connections is considered self-excitement. Our social behaviour is often prone to self-excitement. “The more active we are, the more we receive attention and gratification, which, in turn, bolsters our activity in a positive feedback loop.”
SNEAK PEEK
1. In 100 milliseconds
A highly critical aspect of vision is fast detection of threat or opportunity. It is processed in an evolutionarily preserved brain region (superior colliculus). Visual events have only 100 milliseconds to hit the brain target or go unnoticed. It’s now or never! Who found this?
1. Richard Krauzlis (National Eye Institute at NIH)
2. What plants want
Many cultivated plants have partially lost their ability to interact with soil microbes that supply essential nutrients. Some plants were made more dependent on fertilisers which are an abundant source of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. Who made this shocking discovery?
2. UC Riverside biologist Joel Sachs
3. Declines in fertility
Many countries today have so much social inequality which makes status competition more intense. And there is an overwhelming diversity of consumer goods that signals well-being and social status. Who clearly identified the greatest declines in fertility in this scenario?
3. Anthropologist Paul Hooper (Emory University)
4. The rhino’s guard
The red-billed oxpecker, who often perches on animals, is called “the rhino’s guard” in Swahili. Turns out, oxpeckers may act as sentinels, sounding an alarm to potential danger. Who observed that black rhinos carrying oxpeckers are far better at avoiding poachers?
4. Roan Plotz (Victoria University, Australia)
5. Defined as “felt love”
Felt love. Well tested. It’s the unsung feelings of “being loved” throughout the day. It’s those micro-moments when you experience resonance with someone. They’re connected with psychological well-being. Who said it’s “conceptually much broader than romantic love”?
5. Zita Oravecz (ICDS, Pennsylvania State University)
6. Forget all opioids!
The Chinese bird spider is a type of tarantula. Molecules in its venom can be used as an alternative to opioid pain killers for those who seek chronic pain relief. Who developed a mini-protein from the tarantula’s venom that binds to pain receptors in the human body?
6. Dr Christina Schroeder (UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience)
7. We’re beneficiaries
Our ancestors (that is, all the early placental mammals) benefitted from the extinction of non-bird-like dinosaurs. They evolved three times faster in the 10 million years after the extinction of the dinosaurs than in the previous 80 million years. Who computed these figures?
7. Dr Thomas Halliday (UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment)
8. Pregnant fathers
Fathers get pregnant only in species of pipefishes and seahorses. A study of the genomes of twelve of these species shows that the genes maintaining the essential functions in female mammalian pregnancy are activated in male pregnancy. Who conducted the study?
8. Dr Olivia Roth at GEOMAR (Kiel, Germany)
9. Endings in the gut
Scientists know that many disorders of the brain and gut are unmistakably associated with each other. Turns out, a specific type of sensory nerve endings lies in the gut. These may ‘talk’ to the spinal cord to communicate pain or discomfort to the brain. Who found the type?
9. Neurophysiologist Nick Spencer (Flinders University)
[ANSWERS]
1. Richard Krauzlis (National Eye Institute at NIH)
2. UC Riverside biologist Joel Sachs
3. Anthropologist Paul Hooper (Emory University)
4. Roan Plotz (Victoria University, Australia)
5. Zita Oravecz (ICDS, Pennsylvania State University)
6. Dr Christina Schroeder (UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience)
7. Dr Thomas Halliday (UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment)
8. Dr Olivia Roth at GEOMAR (Kiel, Germany)
9. Neurophysiologist Nick Spencer (Flinders University)
QUIZ No. 950
1. Who found that problems in basic sensory experiences could lead many to suicide?
– Dr Ian Kelleher
– Pyotr Kuzmich Anokhin
– Susan L. Ackerman
1. Dr Ian Kelleher
2. Who showed that overconfidence as a cognitive bias is present even in 4-year-olds?
– Leopold Auerbach
– Dr Dominik Piehlmaier
– Herman S. Bachelard
2. Dr Dominik Piehlmaier (University of Sussex Business School)
3. ‘I know it like the back of my hand.’ Who proved you could be wrong about your hand?
– Laurence Harris
– Cornelia Cori Bargmann
– Haldan Keffer Hartline
3. Laurence Harris
4. Who projected the experience of flying as a sense of liberty in a communist regime?
– Doru Davidovici
– Vitaly Ivanovich Popkov
– Nikolay V. Sutyagin
4. Doru Davidovici
5. “I hate travelling and explorers.” Which great traveller & explorer penned this irony?
– Claude Lévi-Strauss
– Alma Maximiliana Karlin
– Ida Laura Pfeiffer
5. Claude Levi-Strauss