 “To please Rama I have searched Lanka in so many ways, yet I still do not see the daughter of Videha, Sita, whose every limb is beautiful.” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 13.3)bhūyiṣṭham loḍitā lankā rāmasya caratā priyam | na hi paśyāmi vaidehīm sītām sarva anga śobhanām || Shri Hanuman  Think about those people you love the most. Perhaps this group includes your spouse, children, parents, brothers, sisters, friends and even your pets. Now think of how you go about showering your love on them. Most probably the methods employed involve providing comfort. For dealing with the spouse, the mindset may be something like: “I will cook a nice dinner for them so that when they come home they can eat nicely. I will arrange a comfortable sitting place, where they can relax and not have anything to worry about.” Indeed, this is the treatment shown to guests by good hosts.In the Vedic tradition, the treatment of guests is actually covered as part of both social etiquette and religious life. The householders, married couples in the grihastha ashrama, or second stage of spiritual life, are meant to act as providers for the rest of society. The householders work for a living, so they have fruits of labor that can be shared. Since the aim of human life is to become purely God conscious by the time death rolls around, every practice of spiritual life is meant to further that purpose. The householders, who are more prone than anyone else to becoming attached to the objects of the senses, require constant dedication to sacrifice to stay fixed on the righteous path. In the Mahabharata The foundation of the hospitality and resulting benefits is the initial offering made to the Lord. There isn’t much difference in the spiritual traditions of India and those followed around the world. The only real distinction is the level of detail presented and the amount of dedication recommended. As an example, the church environment is very helpful. You get dressed up, gather your family together, enter a house of worship and think about God for an hour or so. You maybe even sing a few songs of glorification while you are there. As God doesn’t live exclusively in the church, a more effective practice is to take the church environment and replicate it in as many other places as possible, especially in the home. As eating is a strong way to remain focused on the body, which is a perishable covering not related to the soul, an important practice recommended by the Vedas is yajna. Yajna means sacrifice, and in order for there to be sacrifice, there must be the actor and the object. For religious rituals, the identification of the two should be fairly obvious. The person who is acquiring wealth, who has things to sacrifice, naturally will perform the ritual. The Supreme Lord, the person from whom all things emanate, is the enjoyer, or object, of that sacrifice. To this end, devoted followers of the personal form of the Supreme Lord, Vaishnavas, offer up their prepared food items to God in sacrifice prior to eating. This purifies the consciousness of the fruitive worker and sanctifies the food items.
 In the Bhagavad-gita, Lord KrishnaProviding sanctified food to loved ones falls in line with the general idea of offering love through providing comforts. Adults provide for their parents by buying them expensive gifts and taking them to nice places. The children don’t really know any other way to offer service to the mature parents. There is a humorous episode in the famous television sitcom Seinfeld where a son purchases a Cadillac automobile for his father as a gift. Instead of pleasing the father, the gift turns out to be a cause of great distress. The father worries over how the son could afford such an expensive car to be given away as a gift, and at the same time he feels insulted that his son would think he’d need to be taken care of in such a way. The Supreme Lord understands the nature of the soul perfectly, so His offering of love is a little different. In fact, in many cases, the treatment is the polar opposite of what we’d think it should be. Instead of providing creature comforts and the removal of distress, the Supreme Lord sometimes puts His servants into the most difficult situations. This facilitates Krishna consciousness, or constant thoughts fixed on the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and those closely tied to Him. This is precisely what occurred with Shri Hanuman, who is famous around the world as a powerful warrior and dedicated servant of the Lord. Yet as powerful as he is, when he was carrying out one of the most famous missions in history, he found much trouble and frustration. In the above referenced verse from the Ramayana In spiritual life, it is much better to have the innocence of children than to follow the mindset of an adult having full discrimination. With discrimination there is an increased likelihood of choosing against devotional service  For the sincere soul looking for any chance they can find to please the Lord, their wishes are fulfilled by the Personality of Godhead Himself. Shri Rama created many opportunities for service during His time on earth. One important task called for the finding of His missing wife, Sita DeviAs soon as eagerness is there, the rest of the pieces fall into place. In the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna reveals that He is the ability in man. This means that anytime we see someone exhibit tremendous skill, dexterity or fortitude, it is to be understood that their talent is on loan from God. We marvel at the ability of athletes to exhibit excellence in their sport, but the real source of their strength is God, who resides within all of us as the Supersoul. Since Hanuman was assigned a difficult mission, Shri Rama ensured that he had all the necessary tools, both physical and mental, to get the job done. The physical would be exercised first. Hanuman would leap across a massive ocean separating the mainland from the island of Lanka, where it was learned that Sita had been taken by a Rakshasa king named Ravana. Then Hanuman had to search through the different palaces of Lanka without being noticed. Several times frustration arose within Hanuman. He searched seemingly every inch of space in the wonderful city, yet the daughter of King Janaka, Sita Devi, he did not find.  In the scene of the above referenced verse, Hanuman has just searched Ravana’s apartment again. He leaped up and down, became incredibly small in stature, and searched everywhere possible. Hanuman did not deserve defeat; his eagerness to serve and his pure love for Rama should have provided him Sita’s location right away. Why was God torturing Him? In addition, the thought referenced above was just the first of many doubts that arose in Hanuman’s mind. Previously he was a little worried that he might not find Sita, but as more time went by and the number of places searched increased, the worries gathered strength.Every one of Sita’s limbs is endowed with loveliness. This shouldn’t surprise us, as to be Rama’s eternal consort one must be as worthy of divine association as Hanuman is. Sita is forever Rama’s wife, as her thoughts never deviate from Rama’s lotus feet. She too was in a distressing situation, forced to be separated from her husband, not knowing if she would ever see Him again. Hanuman knew just how beautiful she was, even though he had never seen her. His anxiousness related not only to pleasing Rama, but also to seeing such a splendid person. The saintly class are always humbled by others following bhakti-yoga. In fact, nothing can be more beneficial for a person striving for success in transcendental life than seeing someone else innocently engaged in lovingly serving the Supreme Lord. If we see someone successful materially, the initial emotion may be jealousy. Seeing bad things happen to the successful brings some comfort to the mind. “Good. Now they know what it feels like to fail.” But in devotional life, seeing someone engaged in loving God is tremendously humbling. “Oh, they are so much better than me. I am so proud of my accomplishments, but this person serves the Lord so much better than I do. I will honor them with my thoughts and words.” Hanuman was eager to meet Sita, so why should he have had to face the mental turmoil that he did? For starters, Hanuman’s review of the situation, his dedication to Rama, and his mental anguish only further enhance his stature as Rama’s most wonderful devotee. His troubles also further endear him to readers interested in the Ramayana and the story of Lord Rama’s life. By first approaching Hanuman, appreciating his dedication, and rooting for his success, the sincere soul can have the Vanara’s full blessings in trying to understand and love God.  Would Hanuman succeed? Should there be any doubt as to the outcome? The mental struggles he faced only made the final reward of success that much sweeter. He is not worshiped and adored by millions around the world today for no reason. Shri Rama didn’t just tell us to worship Hanuman and expect us to follow His order without question. As mature adults, we have discrimination, so we require a little more convincing when it comes to accepting a spiritual path. Hanuman’s level of dedication and his undying love for Shri Rama and His wife Sita Devi are all we need to understand his divine nature. In fact, Hanuman’s exhibition of love and sadness felt over potentially failing only further validate Shri Rama’s standing as the Supreme Lord. Who else but God could have someone like Hanuman working for Him? Who else but Hanuman could serve Rama perfectly? Indeed, who else should we think about during times of trouble? May Hanuman forever remain in our hearts.In Closing: Who else but Hanuman for an example, Of devotion to God, in Ramayana get a sample. Who else but Hanuman to serve as our guide, In him your sincere desire to love God confide. Who else but Hanuman for Sita to look, On shoulders burden of success he took. Who else but Hanuman to conquer fear, Of failure in this life, to Rama he is most dear. Who else but Hanuman to be given the chance, To find Sita, Shri Rama’s glory to enhance. |
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Who Else But Hanuman
Students lack vegetable, fruit basics
| THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY |
 One in two of the surveyed young Australians don't know how many servings of fruit and vegetables to eat in a day. Image: DNY59/iStockphoto A new survey of young Australians has found one in two don't know how many servings of fruit and vegetables to eat in a day, and even fewer know the serving sizes of common fruit and vegetables. The survey of 106 university students aged 18 to 24 found only 54 percent knew the recommended daily amounts of fruit and vegetables. Participants in the survey, conducted by University of Sydney researchers, also did not know the correct serving sizes for three of the four foods tested in the study (grapes, carrots and lettuce) - although most could correctly identify the serving size of an apple. Some participants estimated the serving size of grapes to be just one grape, and others estimated the serving size for carrots to be the equivalent of 20 carrots, when it is 20 grapes and half a medium-sized carrot (or half a cup of chopped carrot). The survey has been published in the Dietitians Association of Australia's journal Nutrition and Dietetics. According to the University of Sydney researchers - health psychology expert Dr Barbara Mullan and PhD student Emily Kothe - this is the first concrete evidence young Australians don't know their fruit and vegetable basics. "When we asked participants to identify the vegetables in a beef hotpot recipe we gave them, only 78 percent classed canned tomato as a vegetable, and even less identified onion as contributing towards their vegetable intake (71 percent). One in 10 incorrectly thought the beef would contribute towards their daily fruit and vegetable intake," said Ms Kothe. "To get young people eating enough fruit and vegetables every day to be healthy all their lives, they firstly have to have a grasp on how much they should be eating. They also need to have enough know-how to understand serving sizes and to identify what foods are fruits and vegetables." The Australian Government recommends adults have two serves of fruit and five serves of vegetables each day, which is linked with a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity and some cancers. Accredited practising dietitian Julie Gilbert said: "Fruit and vegetables have plenty of vitamins and minerals, like vitamin C, folate and magnesium, and are a good source of fibre. They are also low in saturated fat, salt and sugar. These are the foods that help people look and feel their best. "Australia's last national nutrition survey found 19 to 24 years olds were the most likely of all age groups to not eat enough fruit and/or vegetables." Ms Gilbert called on young Australians to take the 'pledge' to eat more fruit and vegetables as part of the 2012 Australia's Healthy Weight Week campaign, run by the Dietitians Association of Australia in January. "For young people, grabbing a piece of fruit to eat in the car or at their desk, adding some cooked frozen vegies to their night meal, or having canned fruit with yoghurt for dessert is fine. It's just important they up their intake," said Ms Gilbert. Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here. |
Study finds mutating stem cells
| THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE |
 "Detecting and eliminating abnormal cells is an absolute prerequisite for clinical use of stem cell products." Image: nicolas_/iStockphoto An international study, published today in the prestigious journal Nature Biotechnology, reveals more about human pluripotent stem cells and their genetic stability and has important implications for the development of therapies using these cells. Scientists from the University of Melbourne, University of NSW and CSIRO contributed to this study, which examined how the genome of 138 stem cell lines of diverse ethnic backgrounds changed when the cells were grown in the laboratory. Professor Martin Pera, co-author of the paper, Chair of Stem Cell Science at the University of Melbourne and Program Leader of Stem Cells Australia, said the collaborative study from the International Stem Cell Initiative was the largest survey of its kind on the genetic and epigenetic stability of human embryonic stem cell and induced pluripotent stem cells. “Australian scientists made important contributions to this work, which shows clearly that during prolonged culture, stem cells can acquire genetic changes similar to those seen in human cancers,” he said. “While it is reassuring that 75% of the stem cell lines studied remained normal after prolonged growth in the laboratory, detecting and eliminating abnormal cells is an absolute prerequisite for clinical use of stem cell products. “Scientists in Stem Cells Australia are making important contributions to this effort.” Dr Andrew Laslett, a CSIRO researcher and co-author on the paper said, "as well as the scientific outcomes, what has been particularly satisfying about this project is the significant international collaborative networks that have been formed and flourished among the more than 35 laboratories and 125 collaborators”. Human pluripotent stem cells show promise as a source of cells for regenerative medicine. Human embryonic stem (HES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are of interest because they can be converted into any cell type in the body and because they are able to grow and divide indefinitely in the laboratory. However, scientists are concerned that over time the cells can acquire genetic mutations, which may compromise their usefulness for cell therapy. In this study, researchers analysed the pattern of genes expressed in 127 HES cell lines and 11 iPS cell lines from ethnically diverse backgrounds. Although most of the HES cell lines studied retained the normal number of chromosomes, even after prolonged culture, about 20% of the cell lines acquired amplifications of a specific region in chromosome 20. Among the small number of iPS cell lines studied, three out of 11 had abnormal karyotypes (chromosome numbers). The data generated in this study will be useful for understanding the frequency and types of genetic changes affecting cultured hESCs, an important issue in evaluating the cells for potential therapeutic applications. The International Stem Cell Initiative study was led by Professor Peter Andrews from the University of Sheffield. Other Australian scientists involved in this study included Associate Professor Jeremy Crook, and Shirani Sivarajah, University of Melbourne and National ICT Australia; Associate Professor Kuldip Sidhu University of NSW, and Qi Zhou from CSIRO. Professor Pera was also a part of the seven member steering committee for the study which was funded by The International Stem Cell Forum. Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here. |
Building a more stable genome
| AGENCY FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH |
 Image: alanphillips/iStockphoto Researchers at the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) have, for the very first time, developed a computational tool that comes with a guarantee on its reliability when reconstructing the DNA sequence of organisms, thus enabling a more streamlined process for reconstructing and studying genomic sequences. The work, lead by Dr Niranjan Nagarajan, Assistant Director of Computational and Mathematical Biology at the GIS, was reported in the November 2011 issue of the Journal of Computational Biology. The genomic study of life (plants and animals alike) is based on computational tools that can first piece together the DNA sequence of these organisms, a process called genome assembly, that is similar to solving a giant puzzle or putting together the words in a book from a shredded copy. Due to the sheer scale of this challenge, existing approaches for genome assembly rely on heuristics and often result in incorrect reconstructions of the genome. The work reported here represents the first algorithmic solution for genome assembly that provides a quality guarantee and scales to large datasets. A new and improved implementation for this algorithm called Opera is now freely available at http://sourceforge.net/projects/operasf/ and has been used at the GIS for successfully assembling large plant and animal genomes. The assembled genome of an organism forms the basis for a range of downstream biological investigations and serves as a critical resource for the research community. The draft human genome, for example, was obtained at the expense of billions of dollars, serves as a fundamental resource for biomedical research and is, in fact, still being refined. Improved assembly tools thus serve to generate the most complete and accurate draft genomes that can be reconstructed from the data, avoiding mis-assembly related dead-ends for downstream research as well as minimizing the painstaking effort needed to refine and correct a draft assembly. “Genetic studies of organisms of interest for human health (such as those causing infectious diseases), agriculture, animal husbandry and other areas of the bio-economy, such as biofuels, are driven by the availability of draft genome sequences, said Dr Nagarajan. “This research describes a novel computational approach to reconstruct more complete and accurate draft genomes. From an algorithmic perspective, Opera demonstrates the utility of a clear optimization function and an exact algorithm derived from a parametric complexity analysis in providing a robust solution to a seemingly intractable problem.” Mihai Pop, Associate Prof, Department of Computer Science; and Interim Director, Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the University of Maryland said: “Opera is an important advance in genome assembly algorithms – currently it is the best stand-alone genome scaffolder available in the community. In Opera, Dr Nagarajan's team has introduced a rigorous theoretical framework for genome scaffolding as well as a practical implementation that achieves remarkable performance. These results are impressive given the substantial research in the field over the past 30 years, as well as the numerous developments spurred in recent years by advances in sequencing technologies.” Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here. |
Maltreated children show same pattern of brain activity as combat soldiers
Children exposed to family violence show the same pattern of activity in their brains as soldiers exposed to combat, new research has shown.
In the first functional MRI brain scan study to investigate the impact of physical abuse and domestic violence on children, scientists at UCL in collaboration with the Anna Freud Centre, found that exposure to family violence was associated with increased brain activity in two specific brain areas (the anterior insula and the amygdala) when children viewed pictures of angry faces.
Previous fMRI studies that scanned the brains of soldiers exposed to violent combat situations have shown the same pattern of heightened activation in these two areas of the brain, which are associated with threat detection. The authors suggest that both maltreated children and soldiers may have adapted to be 'hyper-aware' of danger in their environment.
However, the anterior insula and amygdala are also areas of the brain implicated in anxiety disorders. Neural adaptation in these regions may help explain why children exposed to family violence are at greater risk of developing anxiety problems later in life.
Dr Eamon McCrory, lead author from the UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences and the Anna Freud Centre, said: "We are only now beginning to understand how child abuse influences functioning of the brain's emotional systems. This research is important because it provides our first clues as to how regions in the child's brain may adapt to early experiences of abuse in the home".
Dr McCrory added: "All the children studied were healthy and none were suffering from a mental health problem. What we have shown is that exposure to family violence is associated with altered brain functioning in the absence of psychiatric symptoms and that these alterations may represent an underlying neural risk factor. We suggest these changes may be adaptive for the child in the short term but may increase longer term risk".
In the study, which is published in the journal Current Biology, 43 children had their brains scanned using an fMRI scanner. 20 children who had been exposed to documented violence at home were compared with 23 matched peers who had not experienced family violence. The average age of the maltreated children was 12 years old and they had all been referred to local social services in London.
When the children were in the scanner they were presented with pictures of male and female faces showing sad, calm or angry expressions. The children had only to decide if the face was male or female – processing the emotion on the face was incidental. As described, the children who had been exposed to violence at home showed increased brain activity in the anterior insula and amygdala in response to the angry faces.
Professor Peter Fonagy, Chief Executive of the Anna Freud Centre and professor of psychology at UCL, said: "Dr McCrory's groundbreaking research has undoubtedly taken us an important step closer to understanding the devastation which exposing children to violence can leave in its wake. His exciting findings confirm the traumatic effects these experiences have on brain development.
Professor Fonagy added: "The report should energize clinicians and social workers to double their efforts to safeguard children from violence. By helping us understand the consequences of maltreatment the findings also offer fresh inspiration for the development of effective treatment strategies to protect children from the consequences of maltreatment."
Dr McCrory said: "Even though we know that maltreatment represents one of the most potent environmental risk factors associated with anxiety and depression, relatively little is known how such adversity 'gets under the skin' and increases a child's later vulnerability."
"The next step for us is to try and understand how stable these changes are. Not every child exposed to family violence will go on to develop a mental health problem; many bounce back and lead successful lives. We want to know much more about those mechanisms that help some children become resilient."
More information: "Heightened neural reactivity to threat in child victims of family violence" is published online today in Current Biology.
Provided by University College London
"Maltreated children show same pattern of brain activity as combat soldiers." December 5th, 2011. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-maltreated-children-pattern-brain-combat.html
Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek
Robert Karl Stonjek
NINE Things That Motivate Employees More Than Money
The ability to motivate employees is one of the greatest skills an entrepreneur can possess. Two years ago, I realized I didn’t have this skill. So I hired a CEO who did.
Josh had 12 years in the corporate world, which included running a major department at Comcast. I knew he was seasoned, but I was still skeptical at first. We were going through some tough growing pains, and I thought that a lack of cash would make it extremely difficult to improve the company morale.
I was wrong.
With his help and the help of the great team leaders he put in place, Josh not only rebuilt the culture, but also created a passionate, hard-working team that is as committed to growing and improving the company as I am.
Here are nine things I learned from him:
- Be generous with praise. Everyone wants it and it’s one of the easiest things to give. Plus, praise from the CEO goes a lot farther than you might think. Praise every improvement that you see your team members make. Once you’re comfortable delivering praise one-on-one to an employee, try praising them in front of others.
- Get rid of the managers. Projects without project managers? That doesn’t seem right! Try it. Removing the project lead or supervisor and empowering your staff to work together as a team rather then everyone reporting to one individual can do wonders. Think about it. What’s worse than letting your supervisor down? Letting your team down! Allowing people to work together as a team, on an equal level with their co-workers, will often produce better projects faster. People will come in early, stay late, and devote more of their energy to solving problems.
- Make your ideas theirs. People hate being told what to do. Instead of telling people what you want done; ask them in a way that will make them feel like they came up with the idea. “I’d like you to do it this way” turns into “Do you think it’s a good idea if we do it this way?”
- Never criticize or correct. No one, and I mean no one, wants to hear that they did something wrong. If you’re looking for a de-motivator, this is it. Try an indirect approach to get people to improve, learn from their mistakes, and fix them. Ask, “Was that the best way to approach the problem? Why not? Have any ideas on what you could have done differently?” Then you’re having a conversation and talking through solutions, not pointing a finger.
- Make everyone a leader. Highlight your top performers’ strengths and let them know that because of their excellence, you want them to be the example for others. You’ll set the bar high and they’ll be motivated to live up to their reputation as a leader.
- Take an employee to lunch once a week. Surprise them. Don’t make an announcement that you’re establishing a new policy. Literally walk up to one of your employees, and invite them to lunch with you. It’s an easy way to remind them that you notice and appreciate their work.
- Give recognition and small rewards. These two things come in many forms: Give a shout out to someone in a company meeting for what she has accomplished. Run contests or internal games and keep track of the results on a whiteboard that everyone can see. Tangible awards that don’t break the bank can work too. Try things like dinner, trophies, spa services, and plaques.
- Throw company parties. Doing things as a group can go a long way. Have a company picnic. Organize birthday parties. Hold a happy hour. Don’t just wait until the holidays to do a company activity; organize events throughout the year to remind your staff that you’re all in it together.
- Share the rewards—and the pain. When your company does well, celebrate. This is the best time to let everyone know that you’re thankful for their hard work. Go out of your way to show how far you will go when people help your company succeed. If there are disappointments, share those too. If you expect high performance, your team deserves to know where the company stands. Be honest and transparent.
THREE TIPS TO HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS
It’s nice to have dreams, but at the end of the day they are never going to come true unless you act on them. These 3 tips will help you clarify your dreams and work toward them in the most efficient way. Get the tips here!Success Begins Today recommends…
1. Write Them Down: A dream written down and attached to a date becomes a goal. It sounds over-simplistic, yet that simple act is the difference between a dreamer and a doer. The statistics are staggering. People who set written goals are much more successful than those that don’t. Putting your goals where you can see them is really important.
2. Dream BIG Dreams: It’s funny, but the amazing thing to me is the fact that it is easier to accomplish a BIG dream than a small one. Big dreams are exciting and keep us motivated. They get us up in the morning and keep us motivated through the day. They attract other people to get involved. Little dreams are easily forgotten and often abandoned.
3. Focus on One Dream at a Time. An old Chinese proverb states that “A man who chases two rabbits, catches none.” Focus is critical to achieving our goals. Steve Jobs commented that the single thing that made Apple successful was the thousand projects they didn’t do. Focusing on one important goal at a time will help you stay on track.
To help you turn your dreams into reality, we have developed some tools that can help you take the first step.
1. Goal Setting Toolkit. This simple card based system gives you a place to capture your short and long term goals and keep them in front of you wherever you go.
2. Daily Planner: This handy sheet that you can print out on your printer has a place for your top 6 objectives for the day. It’s a great place to put the action steps necessary to achieve your goals.
3. Empower Hour: The best way to stay focused is to turn off distractions and do ONE thing for 48 minutes. Check out the short video that accompanies this post and see how this simple solution can revolutionize your workday and increase your productivity.
Chimp study shows evidence of synaesthesia
Common chimpanzee in the Leipzig Zoo. Image credit: Thomas Lersch, via Wikipedia.
(PhysOrg.com) -- In the never-ending struggle to understand how the human brain works, all manner of experiments are dreamed up and carried out. In one new one, for example, researchers in Japan have been testing chimps to see if they possess brain connections that cross the senses. In human terms, it’s known as synaesthesia, the phenomenon where a person associates one sensation with another; feeling colors for example or associating higher musical tones with lighter colored objects. Vera Ludwig, a German researcher, has teamed with colleagues at Kyoto University in testing chimps to see if they have such traits. In their study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team describes how chimps did better or worse matching colored objects when a high or low noise was played.
The idea was to see if chimps associate high noises with light colored objects, as people tend to do, and low noises with dark colored objects. To find out, they trained six chimps to sit in front of a computer monitor and to play a matching game. In the game, three squares are displayed, a single small one in the center of the screen and two larger ones above it. The larger squares are identical except that they are either black or white. To get a treat, the chimp must correctly identify, by touch, which of the two larger squares matches the color of the smaller one. Then to test for synaesthesia they randomly played either a high noise or a low one while the chimp was trying to choose. The test was run over and over with the small square being shown for a very short period of time.
This video is not supported by your browser at this time.
A human participant and chimpanzee Ai performing the task.
After tallying up the results, the researchers found that the chimps did slightly better (93% versus 90%) at choosing the right colored square when matching white squares with high notes and black ones with low. This, the researchers say, shows that chimps do have some innate sense of synaesthesia.These results by themselves may not by themselves truly answer the question of whether chimps really do have some degree of synaesthesia, but they do add to the body of research on the topic, all of which suggests that such abilities are innate, rather than learned, which means that such abilities may hold the key to explaining why humans developed complex speech and chimps and other animals have not.
At any rate, after finishing up with the chimps, the team did the same study with humans, but because the volunteers were so accurate at choosing the right square, they weren’t able to draw any real conclusions regarding synaesthesia, but they did find that people seem to choose more speedily when the tones “matched” the colors displayed.
More information: Visuoauditory mappings between high luminance and high pitch are shared by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and humans,PNAS, December 5, 2011, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1112605108
Abstract
Humans share implicit preferences for certain cross-sensory combinations; for example, they consistently associate higher-pitched sounds with lighter colors, smaller size, and spikier shapes. In the condition of synesthesia, people may experience such cross-modal correspondences to a perceptual degree (e.g., literally seeing sounds). So far, no study has addressed the question whether nonhuman animals share cross-modal correspondences as well. To establish the evolutionary origins of cross-modal mappings, we tested whether chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) also associate higher pitch with higher luminance. Thirty-three humans and six chimpanzees were required to classify black and white squares according to their color while hearing irrelevant background sounds that were either high-pitched or low-pitched. Both species performed better when the background sound was congruent (high-pitched for white, low-pitched for black) than when it was incongruent (low-pitched for white, high-pitched for black). An inherent tendency to pair high pitch with high luminance hence evolved before the human lineage split from that of chimpanzees. Rather than being a culturally learned or a linguistic phenomenon, this mapping constitutes a basic feature of the primate sensory system.
Humans share implicit preferences for certain cross-sensory combinations; for example, they consistently associate higher-pitched sounds with lighter colors, smaller size, and spikier shapes. In the condition of synesthesia, people may experience such cross-modal correspondences to a perceptual degree (e.g., literally seeing sounds). So far, no study has addressed the question whether nonhuman animals share cross-modal correspondences as well. To establish the evolutionary origins of cross-modal mappings, we tested whether chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) also associate higher pitch with higher luminance. Thirty-three humans and six chimpanzees were required to classify black and white squares according to their color while hearing irrelevant background sounds that were either high-pitched or low-pitched. Both species performed better when the background sound was congruent (high-pitched for white, low-pitched for black) than when it was incongruent (low-pitched for white, high-pitched for black). An inherent tendency to pair high pitch with high luminance hence evolved before the human lineage split from that of chimpanzees. Rather than being a culturally learned or a linguistic phenomenon, this mapping constitutes a basic feature of the primate sensory system.
© 2011 PhysOrg.com
"Chimp study shows evidence of synaesthesia." December 6th, 2011. http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-12-chimp-evidence-synaesthesia.html
Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek
Robert Karl Stonjek
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