Page 28 - aruba-today-20190620

A28 SCIENCE
Thursday 20 June 2019
Scientists take a peek behind those sad puppy dog eyes

By JEREMY REHM been unaware of it.
Associated Press "The proof has been in their
NEW YORK (AP) — What's puppy dog eyes all this
behind those hard-to-resist time!" he said.
puppy dog eyes? Evan MacLean at the Uni-
New research suggests that versity of Arizona called the
over thousands of years of findings fascinating, but
dog domestication, people cautioned that the mus-
preferred pups that could cle difference could be
pull off that appealing, sad an indirect effect of other
look. And that encouraged changes rather than a spe-
the development of the fa- cific response to human in-
cial muscle that creates it. fluence.
Today, pooches use the Clive Wynne of the Ca-
muscle to raise their eye- nine Science Collabora-
brows and make the baby- tory at Arizona State Uni-
like expression. That muscle versity said: "Kudos to the
is virtually absent in their researchers for thinking of a
ancestors, the wolves. cool way to investigate an
"You don't typically see This Feb. 18, 2014 shows Lexy, a therapy dog at Fort Bragg, N.C. A study released on Monday, important aspect of dogs'
such muscle differences in June 17, 2019 suggests that over thousands of years of dog domestication, people preferred dogs success" with humans.
species that are that close- that could pull off the puppy dog" eyes look. But he noted in an email
ly related," said Anne Bur- Associated Press that the study has a few
rows of Duquesne University snags, particularly the small
in Pittsburgh, an author of ping a fence or getting out Pet pooches frequently play. And people, perhaps sampling — only five dog
the study released Monday the door. and intensely pulled back unwittingly, obliged. breeds were examined
by the Proceedings of the Burrows and her colleagues their eyebrows to make Dog experts not involved and videos were mainly
National Academy of Sci- examined the eye muscles sad expressions, while the with the study were im- of Staffordshire bull terriers
ences. in the cadavers of six dogs wolves rarely made these pressed. — and the lack of back-
Dogs differ from wolves in and two wolves. They faces, and never with great "The implications are quite ground information about
many ways, from having found dogs have a meaty intensity. profound," said Brian Hare each animal.
shorter snouts, smaller sizes eye muscle to lift their eye- The researchers believe from Duke University and "Did these wolves regularly
and more expressive faces. brows and make puppy dogs, over their relatively who edited the article. meet people bearing gifts
And unlike wolves, dogs dog eyes. But in wolves, the short 33,000 years of do- Hare wrote in an email that that might be worth ask-
heavily rely on human eye same muscle was stringy or mestication, used this eye these muscles almost cer- ing for with an endearing
contact, whether to know missing. muscle to communicate, tainly developed because face?" he asked.
when someone's talking to The scientists also recorded possibly goading people to they gave dogs an advan- Burrows said she planned
them or when they can't 27 dogs and nine wolves as feed or care for them — or tage when interacting with follow-up studies to exam-
solve a problem, like hop- each stared at a person. at least take them out to people, and people have ine more breeds.q

Scientists record singing by

rare right whale for first time

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) North Pacific right whales is reviewed long-term data
— Federal marine biologists estimated at just 30 animals from acoustic recorders
have recorded singing by from a population large- and noted repeating pat-
one of the rarest whales on ly wiped out by whalers. terns of the sound patterns.
the planet. The slow-moving whales However, it took until a voy-
National Oceanic and At- remained buoyant after age in 2017 to coordinate
mospheric Administration death and were targeted a right whale song with a
researchers used moored by whalers. sighting of the male mak-
acoustic recorders to cap- Researchers detected four ing it, Crance said.
ture repeated patterns of distinct songs over eight Right whales make a vari-
In this Aug. 6, 2017, file photo, provided by NOAA Fisheries a calls made by male North years at five locations in ety of sounds. A predomi-
North Pacific right whale swims in the Bering Sea west of Bristol
Bay. Pacific right whales, the first the Bering Sea off Alaska's nant call sounds like a
Associated Press time any right whale songs southwest coast. Weird gunshot. They also make
in any population have patterns of sound were first upcalls, downcalls, moans,
been documented, said noted during a summer screams and warbles.
NOAA Fisheries marine bi- field survey in 2010, Crance To be a song, the sounds
ologist Jessica Crance on said. have to contain rhythmi-
Wednesday from Seattle. "We thought it might be a cally patterned series of
She spoke to southern right right whale, but we didn't units produced in a con-
whale and North Atlan- get visual confirmation," sistent manner to form
tic right whale experts to she said. clearly recognizable pat-
confirm that singing had Humpback, bowhead and terns, Crance wrote in a
not previously been docu- other whales are known for paper for the Journal of
mented. their songs. the Acoustical Society of
The number of eastern NOAA Fisheries researchers America.q