A new #research publication in the journal Science reveals that #crows can #respond to #visualstimuli twice as #fast as #humans, and that the underlying principle of #decisionmaking in response to a sensory stimulus is comparable, despite the distinct morphological differences between #avian and #mammalian #brains. In flight, an incorrect decision at the wrong moment, such as failing to spot an obstacle or reacting too slowly to potential prey, can have fatal consequences. Consequently, rapid decision-making is essential. A new study by P. Schmidbauer & A. Nieder (2026) has demonstrated that #carrioncrows act twice as quickly as #primates (including humans) when making decisions based on visual stimuli. In the experiment, the birds were shown patterns of #dots on a #screen moving either to the left or to the right; they were then required to indicate the direction of movement using a gesture with their beaks. Throughout this process, the birds' #neuralactivity was recorded. The study showed that neural activity in a region known as the #nidopallium #caudolaterale increased steadily until a specific #threshold was reached, at which point the animal signaled its #decision. Beyond the impressive speed of these decisions, the study also found that the underlying #neuralprocesses are comparable to those in a mammalian brain, even though the two types of brains differ morphologically (for instance, birds lack the neocortex found in the human cerebrum). While decision-making in humans takes place in the #prefrontalcortex, the equivalent process in birds is regulated by the nidopallium caudolaterale, a region that is functionally analogous to the prefrontal cortex in terms of the breadth of its operations. © #StefanFWirth, October 2026, Berlin please support my science communication and illustration efforts, support is needed: ko-fi.com/sfwirth reference: P. Schmidbauer & A. Nieder (2026): doi.org/10.1126/science.aed6… #illustrations: © Stefan F. Wirth, AI assisted artistic illustration based on my hand-drawn sketches, manually edited, October 2026, Berlin. 1)-3): brain of a carrion crow in the bird's head and isolated

The 2026 feature #film "#Whalefall," directed by Brian Duffield, tells the story of a #scubadiver who, while underwater, witnesses a #spermwhale hunting a #giantsquid. Just as the whale is about to devour its prey, the squid grabs the diver, who is subsequently #swallowed along with it. What follows is a #struggleforsurvival under #claustrophobic conditions. The film is based on a 2023 #novel by the American author and Pulitzer Prize winner Daniel Kraus. Claustrophobia has been incorporated into a wide variety of plots, but finding oneself inside a living organism is, at the very least, original and intriguing. Given that modern #CGI can render almost anything with convincing quality, the sperm whale, at least in its outward appearance, is quite persuasive. In terms of its #premise, I would categorize the film as a work of #fantasy. While the author states that he was inspired by a viral video, in which a swimmer was nearly swallowed by a humpback whale, the reality is that, under natural conditions, no more risk than this can occur. This is not to say that approaching whales is always safe; however, a human being would not actually be #eaten, and very certainly not while wearing full #scubagear. What characterizes this film, which is seemingly well-crafted in terms of #dramaturgy, #technicalexecution, and #acting, is a particular underlying concept of the whale: that of a creature devoid of self-control or intelligence, a #floatingvessel with an opening that draws in anything that happens to drift too close. This has spelled doom for famous fictional characters before, from the biblical #Jonah to the storybook figure #Pinocchio. Yet, a whale is a #mammal, and not one reduced by its exclusively aquatic existence to a mindless, colossal shell. On the contrary, #phylogenetic #reconstructions, based primarily on #molecular and fossil evidence, reveal that whales are closely related to #hippopotamuses, with the extinct taxon #Raoellidae considered their direct sister group. To put it precisely: whales evolved from the #Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates). What does this mean? We must think of the whale as a highly sensitive mammal, an even-toed ungulate, closely related to #cows, #sheep, and #pigs. Whales are highly #socialanimals capable of complex interactions. They are #intelligent and possess a dense network of #nerveendings, much like our own; for instance, if a scrap of paper accidentally sticks to a piece of chewing gum, the #sensitive lining of our mouth immediately detects it. It is safe to assume that a whale’s oral mucosa is similarly highly sensitive, which is why it would instantly spit out anything that doesn't belong there. Furthermore, while the film correctly identifies the location and structure of whale organs, such as the three-chambered stomach, it overlooks the fact that the stomach, like all other organs, is highly dynamic and mobile; it shifts and compresses depending on the animal's body position. In such a scenario, a human’s supply of compressed air would be of no use; their body would be subjected to such intense #pressure that they would suffocate immediately. Why is it that large whales are so often portrayed as something #primitive, #uncontrolled, and "un-animal-like"? #Aristotle, the ancient Greek polymath and tutor to Alexander the Great, otherwise known for his precise and analytical insights into the natural world, did recognize similarities between whales and mammals, yet he still classified them as #fish. This was an error that was not corrected until 1758 by Carl #Linnaeus. In the intervening centuries, countless tall #tales were spun, partly surviving until today. © #StefanFWirth, October 2026, Berlin please support my science writing: ko-fi.com/sfwirth #Illustrations: © Stefan F. Wirth, AI assisted illustrations, based on my handdrawn sketches, manually edited: a scuba diver with a sperm whale, and a scuba diver, remaining unharmed and alone, after a sperm whale left