hkl @hkl@social.cleverlibre.org

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)

I took this in the winter when I used to occasionally see one. don't think there are any of these around here anymore, they've likely moved north.

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #birds #birdsofmastodon #birdwatching #NorthernFlicker

"Studying hundreds of older patients, researchers in Germany found that those who reported using two languages daily from a young age scored higher on tests of learning, memory, language and self-control than patients who spoke only one language." https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/28/health/bilingualism-memory-dementia.html #Science #Language

Source: https://twitter.com/NYTScience/status/1652518857427279873

The coot chicks have hatched! I love them so much, they look so different than the adults!

#bird #birds #birding #birdphotography #birdsofmastodon #birdwatching #wildlifephotography #wildlife #naturephotography #photography

Microglia enable cross-modal plasticity by removing inhibitory synapses (in mice) https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(23)00394-7 "Visual deprivation increases visual cortex (V2L) excitability during whisker stimulation", "Microglia phagocytose local inhibitory synapses to unmask cross-modal plasticity" #microglia #crossmodal #plasticity #neuroscience

When planned obsolescence meets #cochlear #implants https://www.sapiens.org/culture/planned-obsolescence-cochlear-implants/ Similar concerns apply to retinal implants, brain implants; #BCI #NeuroTech #Neuralink ...

When you stand out in a crowd.

I can't recognize all of the pigeons that visit the feeder in the backyard. But I can say with confidence that this morning is the first time this pigeon has visited. Most of the pigeons are blue gray. A few have some white markings that help me recognize them. But this is the only brown pigeon I've seen around here ... so far. Interesting.

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #birds #birdsofmastodon #birdwatching #pigeon #RockPigeon #dove #RockDove

Is this the cutest fungus ever!? 😲🍄💙
​
This mini mushroom was found in Taiwan and is believed to be Mycena subcyanocephala, often called the blue-headed bonnet. The species is characterized by its teeny tiny height of around 1-3 cm, and its blue to blue-gray cap (typically only 0.5–1.5 cm in diameter).

M. subcyanocephala thrives in temperate climates and usually colonizes decaying wood or leaf litter.
​
​📷 Eric Cho/iNaturalist
#nature #mycena #mycology #fungus #science #ScienceAlert #STEM

Here is the first of a few Green woodpecker photos I will be sharing with you

Having spend ages following the song, I finally caught up with it high up in a tree

#nature #NaturePhotography #birds #Wildlife #naturecommunity #photography #BirdsOfMastodon #birdphotography #Woodpecker

The beautiful glasswing butterfly is known for its unique transparent wings that allow it to camouflage without coloration.

Video credit: Brandon Price / CC-BY-2.0
Further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_oto

Saccadic modulation of neural excitability in auditory areas of the neocortex https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(23)00157-4 visual "saccades modulate excitability in numerous auditory cortical areas with a temporal pattern complementary to that seen in visual areas" #multisensory #crossmodal #neuroscience

Activation of human visual area #V6 during egocentric navigation with and without visual experience https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(23)00165-3 "V6 responds to both #visual and #auditory cues for navigation", "V6 is selective to egocentric navigation via #sound, without any visual experience"; #neuroscience #blindness

7 problems facing Bing, Bard, and the future of AI search

Microsoft and Google say a new era of AI-assisted search is coming. But as with any new era in tech, it comes with plenty of problems, from bullshit generation to culture wars and the end of ad revenue.

https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/9/23592647/ai-search-bing-bard-chatgpt-microsoft-google-problems-challenges

At first glance, this image may appear to be a view of stars. Rather, almost all these different colored dots are black holes or entire galaxies. When we add sound, we can hear the data. Music represents the full range of X-ray frequencies collected by @chandraxray.
#NASAExoplanets

A brain process that can adjust the strength of connections between neurons is regulated by a set of proteins that stop the process from over-activating and causing seizures. https://elifesciences.org/digests/74899/keeping-brain-activity-under-control?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic

Expecting to see an image activates a neural template of that image in the visual cortex https://www.growkudos.com/publications/10.1371%252Fjournal.pbio.3001023/reader #neuroscience

Estimating #phosphene locations using eye movements of #suprachoroidal #retinal #prosthesis users https://tvst.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2785464

A gosling, afraid of me, ran to mama's protection & his under her wing...and then peaks out from under to see me. 🙂 ❤️

#birds #BirdPhotography #wildlife #wildlifephotography #nature #naturephotography #photo #Photography #cute #aww #geese

New sound navigation technology enables the blind to navigate https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-03-technology-enables.html They probably meant "visually navigate", because blind people already navigate using echolocation, a cane, guide dog, Google Maps and what have you; #EyeCane