news 2017

How did Finding Nemo affect clownfish? Was Jaws bad for sharks' Did the remake of the Jungle Book help pangolins? Researchers from Lancaster University and the University of Exeter say conservation scientists could work with filmmakers to harness the "Hollywood effect" to boost conservation. Scientific advisors and product placement are already commonplace in films, and the researchers say similar methods could be used to raise awareness of endangered species and other environmental issues.

They may live for the limelight and the call of their muse, but musicians may also be prone to eating disorders, according to new research. A study of active musicians - including amateurs, students, professionals, and retired musicians - has found that they may have a high prevalence of food-related disorders, which could be explained by a combination of personality traits and the demands of the job.

Using hundreds of faces of actors from movies, psychologists from the University of Bristol have shown how facial expressions can get in the way of our ability to tell unfamiliar faces apart. People's faces change from moment to moment. Even over the course of a conversation with someone, changes are seen in their expressions and in the angle of their head.

People on the autistic spectrum can take in more sounds at any given moment compared to non-autistic people, according to new research from UCL. Researchers from the Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE) at the UCL Institute of Education (IOE) used two behavioural experiments to examine whether an increased capacity for processing sounds in autism could underlie both difficulties and enhanced auditory abilities that are found in the condition.

A re-examination of the iconic John Constable work, Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows , has found that the original 1831 exhibited version of the painting did not have a rainbow - and that it was added later to correspond with the time of his best friend's death over a year later. The new research explains how a reassessment of the solar geometry of the painting, and the painter's considerable understanding of contemporary rainbow theory, suggest that that the rainbow was added in at a later date as an homage to John Fisher, who died on the afternoon of 25 August 1832.

Scientists at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) are bringing us closer to understanding the musical experience through a novel approach to analysing a common musical effect known as vibrato. Vibrato is the up-down oscillation in pitch introduced during instrumental or vocal performance, intended to add expressivity and to facilitate sound projection, and commonly used in opera.

Listening to five minutes of West African or Indian pop music can give the listener more positive attitudes towards those cultures, research from the Universities of Oxford and Exeter has found. Research had previously shown that making music can foster affiliation and cooperation among participants, but this study shows that even listening to music can improve someone's unconscious attitudes towards other cultural groups.

Listening to five minutes of West African or Indian pop music can give the listener more positive attitudes towards those cultures, research from the Universities of Oxford and Exeter has found. Research had previously shown that making music can foster affiliation and cooperation among participants, but this study shows that even listening to music can improve someone's unconscious attitudes towards other cultural groups.