video FkG9Y

Added: 2026-05-09

[00:00:01][music] [music] [music] >> Mirror test for snakes. Are these reptiles aware of themselves? [music] The mirror test is a common method of testing animals cognitive abilities and self-awareness.

[00:00:26]Recent research on snakes using an olfactory [music] version of the mirror test has shown that these reptiles can distinguish their own scent from that of others.

[00:00:38]>> [music] >> The mirror test was developed as a method of examining self-awareness.

[00:00:45]>> [music] >> It was first used in the 1970s on a group of chimpanzees who had never [music] seen a mirror before.

[00:00:54]The monkeys initially took [music] the reflection in the mirror as a threat as other unknown individuals.

[00:01:02]But after some time, they realized that they saw their own reflections [music] in the mirror.

[00:01:09]Such a change in behavior, researchers [music] argue, reflects a certain amount of self-awareness, a mental model of one's own body as opposed [music] to that of friends, enemies, or other parts of the environment.

[00:01:26]The test involves painting a colored dot on the animal's body that it cannot see without a mirror, for example, on the forehead.

[00:01:35]>> [music] >> The animal should react to the new feature of its body visible in the mirror by touching it and trying to [music] remove it.

[00:01:45]If he does this, it means he recognizes his reflection [music] in the mirror.

[00:01:52]In other words, he is aware that he is looking at himself and not another individual. [music] This test is considered by behavioral scientists as a benchmark for higher-level cognitive abilities.

[00:02:08]Many species have passed the test so far, including several species [music] of monkeys, elephants, pigs, dolphins, killer whales, and birds from the corvid family, but also [music] pigeons and some fish.

[00:02:26]On average, children can pass the mirror test [music] after 18 months. But there are species for which the mirror test simply [music] does not work because they perceive the world mainly through smells, not sight.

[00:02:43]>> [music] >> These include snakes. Snakes and most reptiles interact [music] with the world primarily through smell, says Noam Miller of Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada.

[00:02:57]>> [music] >> Snakes rely primarily on scent.

[00:03:01]Although some species, especially arboreal ones, have very good eyesight.

[00:03:08]>> [music] >> The constant waving of their forked tongue, characteristic of snakes, >> [music] >> is nothing more than taking samples from the environment and analyzing their chemical [music] composition.

[00:03:23]Thanks to this, they [music] can recognize potential victims or predators in the area from which they should hide.

[00:03:32]>> [music] >> Miller and his colleagues developed an alternative olfactory version of [music] the mirror test.

[00:03:40]The researchers collected the scents of 36 garter snakes, Thamnophis sirtalis [music] sirtalis, and 18 royal pythons, Python regius, [music] by rubbing their skin with cotton buds.

[00:03:57]They then gave each snake five scents: [music] their own, their own with a little olive oil, olive only, one other snake of the same species, and another snake of the same species with a little olive oil.

[00:04:14]Garter snakes made more long tongue movements in response [music] to exposure to their own odor and their own oil-modified odor compared to the other odors.

[00:04:27]Snakes [music] only make long tongue movements when they are interested in something or investigating [music] something, says Miller, adding that their behavior suggests that they can recognize each other's scent.

[00:04:42]In turn, royal pythons reacted in the same way to all odors.

[00:04:48]>> [music] >> Researchers suggest that the difference between the two species' [music] response to different odors may be because garter snakes are more social animals than royal pythons. [music] They also suggest that such species have [music] a greater predisposition to self-recognition, and this ability may evolve in response [music] to species-specific ecological challenges.

[00:05:16]According to the scientists, [music] their research is the first evidence that snakes can recognize their own [music] smell, have a mental model of it, and can distinguish it from the smell of other animals. [music] According to scientists, this research may also change [music] popular opinion about snakes. There is an assumption that snakes and almost all reptiles [music] are slow, instinctive, and cognitively deprived animals, >> [music] >> which is not true, Miller emphasized.

[00:05:54]However, not all researchers agree with the conclusions drawn from the study.

[00:06:01]Part of the scientific community criticizes [music] the mirror test itself as a measure of animals' cognitive abilities, or more broadly, as an indicator [music] of self-awareness.

[00:06:15]Many animals that we consider social and intelligent, such as dogs [music] and cats, fail the mirror test.

[00:06:24]Failure on the test does not necessarily indicate a deficit [music] in cognitive abilities.

[00:06:32]The results and description of the research were published [music] in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

[00:06:45]>> [music] [music] [music] >> Scientists have found a way [music] to obtain energy from the air.

[00:07:12]Researchers from the University of Massachusetts, [music] Amherst, demonstrated to the world a device that can continuously [music] obtain electricity from moisture in the air.

[00:07:25]Moreover, almost any material can be turned [music] into similar equipment as long as it is filled with nanopores smaller than 100 [music] nanometers in diameter.

[00:07:39]However, currently, this solution [music] is not yet ready for practical use, but according [music] to its creators, it goes beyond some of the limitations of other [music] methods of obtaining energy.

[00:07:55]Mankind's demand for electricity [music] is growing every year. Where else can we get it? It turns out [music] that some of its potential sources are difficult to see, but this energy is literally at your fingertips. [music] This was proven by researchers from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

[00:08:18]They have [music] developed a device that can draw energy from air humidity.

[00:08:24]>> [music] >> The description and results of the research were published in the journal Advanced [music] Materials.

[00:08:32]The condition for the operation of the device developed by American [music] researchers is air, or perhaps not the air [music] itself, but its appropriate humidity.

[00:08:45]To illustrate [music] this, just think about the cloud for a moment.

[00:08:50]>> [music] >> As we know, it is a huge concentration of water droplets, and each [music] of these droplets has some electrical charge. When conditions become favorable, these charges [music] can cause lightning to form in the cloud.

[00:09:10]However, for now, [music] obtaining electricity directly from lightning is beyond our capabilities.

[00:09:18]Therefore, we should [music] try to use this energy before lightning strikes occur.

[00:09:25]And [music] this is the idea of a group of scientists.

[00:09:29]So far, they have managed to create [music] a small cloud in the laboratory that is able to produce energy in a controlled and predictable way.

[00:09:40]>> [music] >> But how is something like this even possible?

[00:09:44]What is the mechanism of such a power generator?

[00:09:47]Well, according [music] to Well, according to the creators of this method, [music] it is relatively simple.

[00:09:57]All we need for this is a porous material in which the pores, or rather nano pores, would be only 100 nanometers in diameter.

[00:10:09]This seems like one of those easier said than done tasks, although it is not impossible.

[00:10:16]>> [music] >> In any case, relating it to the dimensions we can imagine, it is approximately 1,000 of the thickness of a [music] human hair.

[00:10:28]Why 100 nanometers?

[00:10:31]This is due to a parameter known as the mean [music] free path, which is the distance that a single molecule of a given substance, in this case [music] water in air, travels before it collides with another single molecule of the same substance.

[00:10:50]When [music] water molecules are suspended in air, their mean free path is approximately 100 nanometers.

[00:11:00]How it's working. [music] A thin layer of nano porous material can be made of, >> [music] >> for example, cellulose or graphene oxide. [music] Water particles in the air easily penetrate the nano pores.

[00:11:17]Then they gradually move [music] from top to bottom, but along the way they move along the walls of the pores.

[00:11:25]This [music] means that the upper part of the layer of porous material would be bombarded with much more charge carrying water molecules than its lower part, creating [music] a charge imbalance, just like in a cloud.

[00:11:41]Because we observe something [music] similar in the context of the formation of lightning.

[00:11:48]This is how a generator was created that can operate as long as there is moisture in the air.

[00:11:56]The energy produced in this way could be used to power a small device or be stored in batteries. [music] However, we should not expect that in a moment we will sit comfortably in the park on a day when the air humidity will be high and simply [music] take out the panel, thanks to which we can, for example, charge our smartphone.

[00:12:22]Currently, [music] the work is still at a very early stage.

[00:12:27]For example, using a layer of cellulose material, it was possible to generate [music] a voltage of only 260 millivolts, while a mobile phone requires at least 5 volts.

[00:12:43]However, such layers [music] can be accumulated, increasing their capabilities. [music] The most important thing, however, is the [music] fact that the observed effect exists and opens up many possibilities for [music] us.

[00:13:01]Moisture is almost always present in the air, so such a generator could run 24/7, rain or shine, night [music] or day, regardless of whether the wind is blowing. This solves one of the main problems of technologies obtaining [music] energy from wind or solar, which only work under certain [music] conditions.

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