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Cusimano M, Hewitt LB, McDermott JH. Listening with generative models. Cognition 2024; 253:105874. [PMID: 39216190 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2024.105874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Perception has long been envisioned to use an internal model of the world to explain the causes of sensory signals. However, such accounts have historically not been testable, typically requiring intractable search through the space of possible explanations. Using auditory scenes as a case study, we leveraged contemporary computational tools to infer explanations of sounds in a candidate internal generative model of the auditory world (ecologically inspired audio synthesizers). Model inferences accounted for many classic illusions. Unlike traditional accounts of auditory illusions, the model is applicable to any sound, and exhibited human-like perceptual organization for real-world sound mixtures. The combination of stimulus-computability and interpretable model structure enabled 'rich falsification', revealing additional assumptions about sound generation needed to account for perception. The results show how generative models can account for the perception of both classic illusions and everyday sensory signals, and illustrate the opportunities and challenges involved in incorporating them into theories of perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maddie Cusimano
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States of America.
| | - Luke B Hewitt
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States of America
| | - Josh H McDermott
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States of America; McGovern Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States of America; Center for Brains Minds and Machines, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States of America; Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Harvard University, United States of America.
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Amador GJ, van Oorschot BK, Liao C, Wu J, Wei D. Functional fibrillar interfaces: Biological hair as inspiration across scales. BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF NANOTECHNOLOGY 2024; 15:664-677. [PMID: 38887525 PMCID: PMC11181169 DOI: 10.3762/bjnano.15.55] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Hair, or hair-like fibrillar structures, are ubiquitous in biology, from fur on the bodies of mammals, over trichomes of plants, to the mastigonemes on the flagella of single-celled organisms. While these long and slender protuberances are passive, they are multifunctional and help to mediate interactions with the environment. They provide thermal insulation, sensory information, reversible adhesion, and surface modulation (e.g., superhydrophobicity). This review will present various functions that biological hairs have been discovered to carry out, with the hairs spanning across six orders of magnitude in size, from the millimeter-thick fur of mammals down to the nanometer-thick fibrillar ultrastructures on bateriophages. The hairs are categorized according to their functions, including protection (e.g., thermal regulation and defense), locomotion, feeding, and sensing. By understanding the versatile functions of biological hairs, bio-inspired solutions may be developed across length scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo J Amador
- Experimental Zoology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, De Elst 1, 6708 WD Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Brett Klaassen van Oorschot
- Experimental Zoology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, De Elst 1, 6708 WD Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Caiying Liao
- School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, China
| | - Jianing Wu
- School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, China
| | - Da Wei
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
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Uhrhan MJ, Bomphrey RJ, Lin HT. Flow sensing on dragonfly wings. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2024; 1536:107-121. [PMID: 38837424 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.15152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
One feature of animal wings is their embedded mechanosensory system that can support flight control. Insect wings are particularly interesting as they are highly deformable yet the actuation is limited to the wing base. It is established that strain sensors on insect wings can directly mediate reflexive control; however, little is known about airflow sensing by insect wings. What information can flow sensors capture and how can flow sensing benefit flight control? Here, we use the dragonfly (Sympetrum striolatum) as a model to explore the function of wing sensory bristles in the context of flight control. Combining our detailed anatomical reconstructions of both the sensor microstructures and wing architecture, we used computational fluid dynamics simulations to ask the following questions. (1) Are there strategic locations on wings that sample flow for estimating aerodynamically relevant parameters such as the local effective angle of attack? (2) Is the sensory bristle distribution on dragonfly wings optimal for flow sensing? (3) What is the aerodynamic effect of microstructures found near the sensory bristles on dragonfly wings? We discuss the benefits of flow sensing for flexible wings and how the evolved sensor placement affects information encoding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myriam J Uhrhan
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Richard J Bomphrey
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, London, UK
| | - Huai-Ti Lin
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Rusiecki S, Ręk P. Concordance of movements and songs enhances receiver responses to multimodal display in the starling. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3603. [PMID: 38351265 PMCID: PMC10864327 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54024-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Many animals produce signals that consist of vocalizations and movements to attract mates or deter rivals. We usually consider them as components of a single multimodal signal because they are temporally coordinated. Sometimes, however, this relationship takes on a more complex spatiotemporal character, resembling choreographed music. Timing is important for audio-visual integration, but choreographic concordance requires even more skill and competence from the signaller. Concordance should therefore have a strong impact on receivers; however, little is known about its role in audio-visual perception during natural interactions. We studied the effects of movement and song type concordance in audio-visual displays of the starling, Sturnus vulgaris. Starlings produce two types of movements that naturally appear in specific phrases of songs with a similar temporal structure and amplitude. In an experiment with a taxidermic robotic model, males responded more to concordant audio-visual displays, which are also naturally preferred, than to discordant displays. In contrast, the effect of concordance was independent of the specific combination of movement and song types in a display. Our results indicate that the concordance of movements and songs was critical to the efficacy of the display and suggest that the information that birds gained from concordance could not be obtained by adding information from movements and songs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanisław Rusiecki
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Paweł Ręk
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland.
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Clark CJ, Hutchinson JR, Garland T. The Inverse Krogh Principle: All Organisms Are Worthy of Study. Physiol Biochem Zool 2023; 96:1-16. [PMID: 36626844 DOI: 10.1086/721620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
AbstractKrogh's principle states, "For such a large number of problems there will be some animal of choice, or a few such animals, on which it can be most conveniently studied." The downside of picking a question first and then finding an ideal organism on which to study it is that it will inevitably leave many organisms neglected. Here, we promote the inverse Krogh principle: all organisms are worthy of study. The inverse Krogh principle and the Krogh principle are not opposites. Rather, the inverse Krogh principle emphasizes a different starting point for research: start with a biological unit, such as an organism, clade, or specific organism trait, then seek or create tractable research questions. Even the hardest-to-study species have research questions that can be asked of them: Where does it fall within the tree of life? What resources does it need to survive and reproduce? How does it differ from close relatives? Does it have unique adaptations? The Krogh and inverse Krogh approaches are complementary, and many research programs naturally include both. Other considerations for picking a study species include extreme species, species informative for phylogenetic analyses, and the creation of models when a suitable species does not exist. The inverse Krogh principle also has pitfalls. A scientist that picks the organism first might choose a research question not really suited to the organism, and funding agencies rarely fund organism-centered grant proposals. The inverse Krogh principle does not call for all organisms to receive the same amount of research attention. As knowledge continues to accumulate, some organisms-models-will inevitably have more known about them than others. Rather, it urges a broader search across organismal diversity to find sources of inspiration for research questions and the motivation needed to pursue them.
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Nakata T, Simões P, Walker SM, Russell IJ, Bomphrey RJ. Auditory sensory range of male mosquitoes for the detection of female flight sound. J R Soc Interface 2022; 19:20220285. [PMID: 36000227 PMCID: PMC9399701 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Male mosquitoes detect and localize conspecific females by their flight-tones using the Johnston's organ (JO), which detects antennal deflections under the influence of local particle motion. Acoustic behaviours of mosquitoes and their JO physiology have been investigated extensively within the frequency domain, yet the auditory sensory range and the behaviour of males at the initiation of phonotactic flights are not well known. In this study, we predict a maximum spatial sensory envelope for flying Culex quinquefasciatus by integrating the physiological tuning response of the male JO with female aeroacoustic signatures derived from numerical simulations. Our sensory envelope predictions were tested with a behavioural assay of free-flying males responding to a female-like artificial pure tone. The minimum detectable particle velocity observed during flight tests was in good agreement with our theoretical prediction formed by the peak JO sensitivity measured in previous studies. The iso-surface describing the minimal detectable particle velocity represents the quantitative auditory sensory range of males and is directional with respect to the female body orientation. Our results illuminate the intricacy of the mating behaviour and point to the importance of observing the body orientation of flying mosquitoes to understand fully the sensory ecology of conspecific communication.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Simon M. Walker
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Ian J. Russell
- Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK
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Rico-Guevara A, Echeverri-Mallarino L, Clark CJ. Oh, snap! A within-wing sonation in black-tailed trainbearers. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:274998. [PMID: 35393623 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Vertebrates communicate through a wide variety of sounds, but few mechanisms of sound production, besides vocalization, are well understood. During high-speed dives, male trainbearer hummingbirds (Lesbia spp.) produce a repeated series of loud snaps. Hypotheses for these peculiar sounds include employing their elongated tails and/or their wings striking each other. Each snap to human ears seems like a single acoustic event, but sound recordings revealed that each snap is actually a couplet of impulsive, atonal sounds produced ∼13 ms apart. Analysis of high-speed videos refutes these previous hypotheses, and furthermore suggests that this sonation is produced by a within-wing mechanism- each instance of a sound coincided with a distinctive pair of deep wingbeats (with greater stroke amplitude, measured for one display sequence). Across many displays, we found a tight alignment between a pair of stereotyped deep wingbeats (in contrast to shallower flaps across the rest of the dive) and patterns of snap production, evidencing a 1:1 match between these sonations and stereotyped kinematics. Other birds including owls and poorwills are reported to produce similar sounds, suggesting that this mechanism of sound production could be somewhat common within birds, yet its physical acoustics remains poorly understood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Rico-Guevara
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.,Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
| | - Laura Echeverri-Mallarino
- Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Código Postal 11001, Bogotá DC, Colombia
| | - Christopher J Clark
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, California, 92521, USA
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