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Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton VIC, Australia

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It is no secret that life is challenging for individuals dealing with blindness. For those of us who can see, we don't fully understand just how important is the gift of sight.

Researchers around the world have been working to cure this with various bionic solutions but none of them has yet been able to come to the market to help better people's lives. Well, it looks like one contender has come awfully close.

Researchers at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia have built a bionic eyethat promises to bring back vision with the help of a brain implant. The team claims this is the world's first bionic eye.

The bionic eye dubbed 'Gennaris bionic vision system' has been under development for nearly a decade now. It works by bypassing damaged optic nerves to allow signals to be transmitted from the retina to the vision centre of the brain.

The system is simple. The user would have to wear a custom-designed headgear that has the camera and a wireless transmitter installed. A set of 9 millimeter tiles are implanted in the brain that receives the signals from the aforementioned receiver.

Arthur Lowery, professor at Monash University's Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering, said in a statement, "Our design creates a visual pattern from combinations of up to 172 spots of light (phosphenes) which provides information for the individual to navigate indoor and outdoor environments, and recognize the presence of people and objects around them."

World's first bionic eye for full vision restoration

Researchers are looking to advance their system to help people with untreatable neurological conditions like limb paralysis, quadriplegia, to help make their lives better, "If successful, the MVG [Monash Vision Group] team will look to create a new commercial enterprise focused on providing vision to people with untreatable blindness and movement to the arms of people paralyzed by quadriplegia, transforming their health care," say researchers.

Researchers have seen successful results in sheep with minimal side effects where it was safely implanted into their brains using a pneumatic inserter with a total of 2,00 hours of simulation. They are now preparing to take it to the next level for its first-ever human clinical trial, that is expected to be conducted in Melbourne.

The researchers are now looking to secure funding to speed up the manufacturing process and distribution.

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Doctors Build World's First Bionic Eye That Can Make 100% Blind People See

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Researchers have seen successful results in sheep with minimal side effects where it was safely implanted into their brains using a pneumatic inserter with a total of 2,00 hours of simulation. They are now preparing to take it to the next level for its first-ever human clinical trial, that is expected to be conducted in Melbourne.

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The study asked 2,000 Americans about how they're keeping their moods up in light of social distancing measures.

Fifty-eight percent of respondents shared they didn't appreciate nature as much as they should have before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation and their Get on Board campaign, the survey found that as their days indoors drag along, 57 percent said it's all taken a toll on their mental health and happiness.

Three-quarters of respondents are starting to feel a boost in their moods, however, thanks to spending more time outdoors - with 66 percent sharing they're doing more outdoor activities close to home.

Just over half of those surveyed have also gone fishing during their time in quarantine, and 27 percent have specifically done so to boost their mental health.

In fact, 63 percent of those surveyed overall said the mental health benefits are an appealing reason to try fishing.

Seventeen percent of those who fish also said one of the top reasons they do this activity is because they can adhere to social distancing measures.

With a plethora of options for outdoor activities, nearly four in 10 respondents have actually become more physically active during their time in quarantine.

In fact, 32 percent of respondents are participating in more outdoor activities than ever.

Six in 10 shared they've been able to finally take the time to explore their local communities, with local parks, trails and lakes topping the list of new-found areas.

"Getting outdoors, especially near water, has been shown in studies to reduce stress and anxiety," said Stephanie Vatalaro, RBFF's Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications.

"That's why we created our Get On Board initiative, to raise awareness about how outdoor activities like fishing and boating can help anyone prioritize their mental health while social distancing."

And as respondents explore their communities more, it's also a chance to bond with their families, as a quarter of those who fish also said a perk of the activity is the bond they can share with their loved ones.

In fact, 63 percent of the respondents who've ever picked up a fishing rod can't wait to teach their kids how to fish.

This isn't surprising, as 37 percent of respondents said fishing brings them back to memories of their own childhood.

Other nostalgic activities include camping (34 percent), going to a lake (31 percent) and boating (23 percent).

With all of these fond memories and newfound mental health benefits, 69% of respondents are planning to incorporate more outdoor activities into their lifestyle even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.

"We can all use a little mood boost these days," said Vatalaro. "The outdoors has lots of activities to pick from, so there's something for everyone. If you're interested in getting started fishing, our website TakeMeFishing.org has beginner tips and an interactive map of places to fish and boat near you."
TOP REASONS WHY AMERICANS GO FISHING

1. It relaxes them - 44%

2. It makes them happy - 40%

3. They enjoy spending time outdoors - 40%

4. It's a hobby of theirs - 27%

5. It allows them to bond with their family - 26%

6. It's an activity they can do while social distancing - 17%

TOP OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES THAT BRING AMERICANS BACK TO CHILDHOOD

1. Fishing - 37%

2. Camping - 34%

3. Going to the beach - 31%

4. Going to a lake - 31%

5. Outdoor cycling - 28%

6. Running - 24%

7. Going to a river - 23%

8. Boating - 23%

9. Flying a kite - 23%

10. Hiking - 22%

11. Gardening - 21%

12. Bird watching - 17%

13. Outdoor rock climbing - 11%

14. Kayaking - 10%

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Americans 'have a new appreciation for nature during virus quarantine'

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The study asked 2,000 Americans about how they're keeping their moods up in light of social distancing measures. Fifty-eight percent of respondents shared they didn't appreciate nature as much as they should have before the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The appointment of Petra De Sutter as Belgium's deputy prime minister - the first out transgender minister in Europe - is a milestone.

But what is perhaps even more meaningful is that it's a milestone that went almost unremarked upon in today's headlines.

De Sutter has always been open about her trans identity and has never sought to hide that fact in her political career. Still, it was always clear that she is so much more than that identity.

As a doctor and gynecology professor, she has been a champion of women's rights, gender equality and sexual reproductive rights. In every political position she's held - whether in the Belgian senate, the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe or the European Parliament - she has been a strong advocate for LGBTQ rights.

But it's her competency in so many other areas and her impressive professional track record that, combined with her advocacy, have defined her career and earned her the respect of her peers.

That the media coverage of her nomination as deputy prime minister focused on her work rather than on her trans identity is a reflection not just of her impressive political career but also of the progressive nature of Belgian politics today. It is not hard to imagine that the headlines would have looked very different in another country - even another European country.

And yet, while the non-event of De Sutter's appointment is a good thing, it still sends a powerful positive signal to trans people across the world.

De Sutter may never have made trans rights the focus of her work, but she has never shied away from being a role model. But more importantly for trans people, the fact that she is accepted at a national level, and that she is treated fairly and respectfully in the media, is a hopeful sign at a time when trans identities are being disavowed and legislated against in a growing number of European countries.

In Romania, the Constitutional Court this week discussed legislation to delete discussions of gender and gender identity completely from any educational curricula. Similar legislation has already been introduced in Bulgaria. Poland's "Family Charter," signed by President Andrzej Duda, will ban lessons on LGBTQ issues in schools. And in the U.K., rights advocates have warned that confusing new educational guidelines risk being interpreted to mean that schools should not use materials discussing gender identity and the possibility of being transgender.

Earlier this year, at the start of the coronavirus lockdowns, Hungary introduced legislation to effectively ban gender recognition, while in Russia legislative moves are underway to do the same.

As a worrying number of governments are actively trying to deny LGBTQ and trans people their place in society, it is heartening to see Belgium's political system embracing a member of the LGBTQ community as an equal.

De Sutter did not attain her powerful position in the new Belgian government because she is a trans woman who brings expertise on specific issues related to LGBTQ rights and trans rights. She was appointed because of her competence as a politician and experienced policymaker.

That's a validation of her identity both as a politician and as a trans woman - and it's a rebuke to the attacks against trans identities happening in other parts of Europe.

De Sutter's gender identity may be missing from the headlines in Belgium. But that absence is sending a powerful message.

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Belgian milestone: A first trans minister and nobody cares

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The appointment of Petra De Sutter as Belgium's deputy prime minister - the first out transgender minister in Europe - is a milestone. But what is perhaps even more meaningful is that it's a milestone that went almost unremarked upon in today's headlines.

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Parked under an awning of trees in Camas, Washington, Doug Knippel's converted semitruck trailer smells like strong, sour beer. It's the scent of hundreds of pounds of barley, leftover from a local microbrewery, being devoured by young Hermetia illucens: black soldier fly larvae. Knippel dips his hand into a tray and comes back with a palmful of rice-sized organisms writhing through his fingers. "I've been composting since I was a kid. I love turning waste into something that's usable," he says. "I'm taking waste and I'm creating food from it instead of just soil."

Knippel is one of a growing number of bug breeders rearing black soldier flies to help simultaneously tackle three of the biggest environmental issues in the United States: greenhouse gas emissions, irresponsible land use, and food waste. Black soldier fly larvae convert waste into a popular garden fertilizer: their poop, which is called frass. Chickens go wild for the later stages of larvae, which are fat with protein and oil and can be processed and sold as animal feed. Projections estimate the black soldier fly industry to be worth $2.57 billion by 2030, and as companies scale up, they could provide a pressure relief valve for the United States' food waste issues and the greenhouse gases that come with it. If implementation around the world is any indication, the flies may become a large-scale trash solution for our waste-burdened world.

Knippel inside his black soldier fly breeding room. Photo: Colleen Stinchcombe

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that 30% to 40% of American food is thrown away every year. Much of that food ends up in landfills, where it makes up 22% of municipal waste annually. Unable to reach soil, food decomposes and releases methane gas, which is at least 25 times worse for the climate than carbon dioxide. Garbage dumps produce nearly a fifth of U.S. methane emissions.

Trash-diversion tactics like composting have grown in the last decade to address the issue, but we're still landfilling more food than we were 10 years ago. Meanwhile, American agriculture raises animals on resource-heavy protein such as soy and fishmeal. Demand for soy is leading to widespread deforestation in South America, while 20 million tons of wild seafood fit for humans is used as fishmeal every year, even for fish like tilapia that were traditionally bottom-feeding vegetarians.

"I'm taking waste and I'm creating food from it instead of just soil."

Enter the black soldier fly. Adult flies have a thin, dark body, don't bite or sting, and only live for a week. Unlike houseflies, black soldier flies aren't attracted to human habitation, they don't transmit diseases, and they're already endemic in many places around the globe. A single female lays around 500 eggs that hatch into larvae after four days. These maggots have a taste for everything that rots, from vegetable scraps to meat chunks, and they eat twice their weight in scraps every day. Once they plump up, a week or so after hatching, they've reached their most valuable state as kernels of protein and fat.

Knippel harvests small and medium-sized larvae by pouring them over a screen that filters out any leftover waste and larger larvae. While young larvae are tawny, the later stages turn black and are either fed to his farm's chickens (if they're shipped, they'll pupate before arriving) or collected to mature into breeding flies. This late stage of larvae instinctually crawl away from their wet waste-filled homes and toward drier material. Producers exploit this instinct, placing small ladders in the waste bins that the larvae can climb up, allowing them to "self-harvest."

The fact that these grubs are stuffed with protein matters. A hectare of land can produce about a ton of soy a year, depleting and eroding soil over time. One estimate suggests the same space could produce 150 tons of insect protein, constantly rechargeable by adding more garbage. A 2019 study published in Waste Management measuring an Indonesian facility found that black soldier flies reduced carbon dioxide emissions to nearly half of what's produced by composting - and composting already reduces greenhouse gas emissions when compared to landfills.

The chunky wrigglers have been a pet reptile delicacy for years, but thanks to regulatory changes by the Association of American Feed Control officials in 2017, black soldier flies are now an approved food source for chickens and some fish. Chickens happily eat the grubs whole, which is how Knippel's backyard operation sells his larvae. Larger companies like Enviroflight, however, squeeze the oil out and grind the leftover protein to sell wholesale. Separating the two allows feed manufacturers to blend the exact macronutrients necessary for the animal they're feeding.

Chickens go wild for the later stages of larvae, which are full of protein and oil. Photo: Colleen Stinchcombe

Like Knippel, the soldier fly industry aims to transform trash into treasure. So far, most companies, including Enviroflight, have focused their energy on pre-consumer waste. Enviroflight uses grains from bourbon distilleries, for example, and Knippel uses leftover barley - both of which would otherwise end up in landfills. But that doesn't begin to tap into the potential of kitchen debris.

Companies are attracted to pre-consumer waste because black soldier flies contain more or less protein, fat, and key nutrients depending on their diet. There are also concerns about the larvae and by-products being contaminated and fed to livestock, and more research is needed on how bugs perform on postconsumer diets, which is why black soldier flies are mandated for use only on pre-consumer waste in many countries outside of the United States.

"It smells almost fruity. Like strawberries mixed in with gross other things."

But others are experimenting with the wasted food thrown out by households and institutions. Twice a week, Devon Brits, a research assistant at Louisiana State University, loads airtight 30-gallon buckets full of food rubbish from the campus's dining halls into the back of a pickup truck. He drives 15 miles out of the city to an insect farm in West Baton Rouge Parish, where half-eaten burgers, pizza, and bread are ground into a pinkish-brown slush and fed to the larvae. "It smells almost fruity," Brits says. "Like strawberries mixed in with gross other things." The project, which processes about two tons of cafeteria scraps a week, is a partnership between the university and reptile-food producers Fluker Farms.

Brits, who first worked with black soldier flies in his native South Africa, says he hasn't seen any difference in the quality of larvae fed postconsumer waste. The consistency of the menu helps - cafeteria food doesn't change a whole lot week to week. Still, they test for contaminants like salmonella, E. coli, listeria, and other major pathogens on a weekly basis. Some of the larvae are sold, while others are funneled back into the farm for breeding.

Getting a system like this to work on a municipal scale hasn't been fully realized yet. Several international companies are turning waste into protein privately, such as AgriProtein in South Africa, whose legislation allows for postconsumer waste. The company is currently trialing a pre-consumer waste facility in California. One of the largest black solider fly companies globally, Enterra, opened a 170,000-square-foot plant near Calgary, Canada. France, Chile, Ireland, Malaysia, Spain, and the Netherlands all have operating black soldier fly businesses, primarily focused on making protein rather than zapping trash.

The hardest part of the process, and perhaps the most expensive, is breeding. Knippel's trailer is a testament to that - it originally belonged to a larvae supplier, who built the structure but could never get the flies to mate. The flies are notoriously precious about temperature change, barometric pressure, and humidity, which can affect how many eggs they lay, according to Knippel. After a year and a half of working on the project, the would-be supplier handed Knippel the keys. Knippel cleaned the breeding area, added food to attract the flies (adults don't eat, but do want to lay eggs near a food source), and started monitoring the space daily. Within two weeks, his flies were laying eggs.

A female black soldier fly laying eggs. A single female can lay 500 eggs that hatch into larvae within four days. Photo: Colleen Stinchcombe

The economics of larvae rearing are also challenging. Spring Yang founded Symton, a larvae company in Texas, before moving to China to help build black soldier fly settlements to process restaurant waste. He says that for the numbers to work, larvae managers have to sell the grubs for protein - they can't just process waste. He believes that in order to scale, the industry would need to split into fly breeders, waste eaters, and feed makers, each supporting the other.

"I just love the fact they can consume so much so fast."

But waste-diversion projects are being imagined. Charlotte, North Carolina, has plans for a pilot program to divert postconsumer waste from landfills and provide a feed source for farmers. A 12,000 square-meter factory in the Baiyun District of Guangzhou of China can gobble up to 50 tons of chow. Even if producers stay limited to pre-consumer waste in the U.S., there's still plenty for the bugs to eat.

Of course, projects don't have to be citywide to be impactful. University studies mapping the bug's appetite have popped up around the country. A Texas company uses the flies to process restaurant leftovers in Austin and farmers are experimenting with creating their own closed-loop system, breeding larvae to feed their poultry.

Knippel's 10-acre farm at Northwest Redworms receives 10,000 pounds of food waste from food banks, Imperfect Foods, and other vendors every week. Most of the food is processed worms, which demolish the produce and turn them into valuable castings. But while Knippel's red wigglers and European nightcrawlers work hard, he maintains the black soldier flies are even more impressive. Worms take a minimum of two to six months to produce castings that gardeners covet - even longer for Knippel, who uses a special process for his worm beds - while his larvae demolish 100 pounds of barley on a lazy day. They can process "10 times that," he says, easy.

The next step beyond his fly trailer would be a 40-by-40-foot structure with several rooms for breeding rather than the single room he has now. According to his estimates, it would cost him $200,000. But with a facility that size, he could make 10 times what he's making now. Add an extra $100,000 in equipment and he thinks he could process all the waste for his city of nearly 24,000 people.

"I just love the fact they can consume so much so fast," Knippel says. "I love the worms, but I put a lot more work into the worms than the larvae. I get a lot more back from the larvae."

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Bug Breeders Are Cultivating Waste-Guzzling Flies to Gobble Up America's Trash

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Parked under an awning of trees in Camas, Washington, Doug Knippel's converted semitruck trailer smells like strong, sour beer. It's the scent of hundreds of pounds of barley, leftover from a local microbrewery, being devoured by young Hermetia illucens: black soldier fly larvae.

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Air pollution in London has plunged since Sadiq Khan became mayor, with a 94% reduction in the number of people living in areas with illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide. The number of schools in such areas has fallen by 97%, from 455 in 2016 to 14 in 2019.

Experts described the reductions as dramatic and said they showed the air pollution crisis was not intractable. More than 9,000 people in the capital were dying early each year due to dirty air in 2015.

The report from the mayor of London, reviewed by scientists, shows that more than 2 million people in the capital lived with polluted air in 2016, but this fell to 119,000 in 2019. The report, which does not include the further falls in pollution seen after the Covid-19 lockdown began in March, shows levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO ₂) by roads in central London fell by 44% between early 2017 and early 2020.

The pollution cuts have been achieved by charges that have deterred dirty vehicles from entering the city centre and have driven up the use of cleaner vehicles. Putting low-emission buses on the dirtiest routes, ending the licensing of new diesel taxis and extending the amount of protected space for cycling have also contributed.

Nitrogen dioxide pollution has plunged in London since 2016

However, Khan said there was still a long way to go, particularly as 99% of London had particle pollution levels above the World Health Organization's recommended limits, which are much tighter than the UK limit.

Almost a quarter of roads in inner London - between the north and south circular roads - still exceed the legal limit for (NO ₂₎, which is mostly produced by diesels. But the ultralow emission zone (Ulez), in which charges are levied for polluting vehicles, is to be expanded to cover all of inner London from October 2021.

Air pollution is the biggest environmental risk to health, according to the WHO, and it may be damaging every organ in the body, a comprehensive global review concluded in 2019. Most urban areas in the UK have had illegal levels of NO ₂ since 2010 and the government has repeatedly been defeated in the high court over the adequacy of its plans.

There is also growing evidence that dirty air worsens infection and death rates from coronavirus, and that people from minority ethnic communities fare the worst. Those people are more likely to live in areas with high air pollution.

"Today's report confirms the transformative impact that my policies have had on our toxic air crisis," said Khan, who was elected in May 2016. "I'm pleased that Londoners are breathing cleaner air and that we're saving the NHS billions of pounds."

"However, air pollution remains a major public health challenge and it's time for the government to step up,. We can't sleepwalk from the health crisis of Covid back into complacency over the major impact of toxic air on everyone's health."

He said the stricter WHO limits should be included in the forthcoming environment bill as a legally binding target for 2030.

Boris Johnson was mayor of London from 2008 to 2016 and a study by King's College London looking at the rate of improvement in NO ₂ levels during that time found it would have taken 193 years to reach legal compliance. Khan said the city was now on track to meet legal levels everywhere by 2025.

"Breathing bad air has had an intolerable impact on Londoners' health for far too long [but], starting around 2016, London's air pollution underwent a dramatic change," said Dr Gary Fuller, an air pollution expert at Imperial College London.

"The changes in NO2 in central London and along main bus routes were some of the fastest that we've ever measured" in 30 years of monitoring, he said. "These successes show that our city's air pollution is not an intractable problem."

Prof Stephen Holgate, a special adviser on air quality to the Royal College of Physicians, said: "Air pollution is a scourge on society, especially harming the young and old. What the mayor of London has shown in his first term is that major reductions in toxic pollutants can be achieved and that businesses and the public are willing to make the necessary changes to deliver this." He said the pollution cuts would have enormous benefits for Londoners.

The report shows there are 44,000 fewer dirty vehicles being driven in central London every day compared with 2017, when charges for polluting vehicles were confirmed. "I am looking forward to seeing the Ulez cover a far greater area with the knowledge that so many more people will benefit," Holgate said.

London Ultra Low Emission Zone

Khan has been criticised for backing a new four-lane road tunnel under the Thames at Silvertown. Victoria Rance, of the Stop the Silvertown Tunnel Coalition, said using the funding for public transport, cycling and walking offers far better environmental outcomes. In June a report from the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies said the tunnel was incompatible with the Greater London Authority's aim to become carbon neutral by 2030.

A spokeswoman for the mayor said: "The combination of introducing tolls on both the Blackwall tunnel and at Silvertown - and the extension of the Ulez from 2021 so that Silvertown will be within the area covered - will play a crucial role in tackling congestion and improving air quality."
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'Dramatic' plunge in London air pollution since 2016, report finds

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Air pollution in London has plunged since Sadiq Khan became mayor, with a 94% reduction in the number of people living in areas with illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide. The number of schools in such areas has fallen by 97%, from 455 in 2016 to 14 in 2019.

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University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany

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University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany

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Dominant and subordinate males of social cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni. The species forms groups with strict social hierarchies, in which dominant males are colourful, aggressive and control resources. Image: The Jordan Lab, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior

New study finds that groups led by subordinate males outperform those led by dominant and aggressive males

Being the strongest, biggest and most aggressive individual in a group might make you dominant, but it doesn't mean you make all the decisions.

A new study of fish behaviour published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that dominant individuals can influence a group through force, but passive individuals are far better at bringing a group to consensus. The study, published by an international team from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, the University of Konstanz and the University of Texas at Austin, overturns assumptions that dominant individuals also have the greatest influence on their groups, and sheds light on the potential of domineering individuals to obstruct effective communication in organisations.

"The same traits that make you powerful in one context can actively reduce your influence in others, especially contexts in which individuals are free to choose who to follow," says senior author Alex Jordan, a group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and at the University of Konstanzʼs Cluster of Excellence "Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour".

"Dominant individuals can force their will on the group by being pushy, but that also makes them socially aversive. When it comes to bringing peers to consensus during more sophisticated tasks, it is the least aggressive individuals that exert the greatest influence. Our results illustrate that although domineering individuals most often ascend to positions of power, they can in fact create the least effective influence structures at the same time."

Separating dominance and influence
To disentangle the effects of dominance and influence, the researchers studied groups of a social cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni. "This species form groups with strict social hierarchies, in which dominant males control resources, territory, and space," says Mariana Rodriguez-Santiago, co-first author on the study and a doctoral student in the lab of co-corresponding author Hans Hofmann at UT Austin .

"We ask if the colourful dominant males, which are aggressive, central in their social networks, and control resources, are most influential? Or if drab subordinate males wield the greatest influence, despite being passive, non-territorial, and having little or no control over resources."

The researchers separated the effects of social dominance from social influence by examining how information flows between either dominant or subordinate males and their groups in two different contexts: routine social behaviour, or a more complex social learning task. In the more complex social learning task, dominant or subordinate male fish were trained that a certain coloured light on one side of the tank meant food would soon arrive at that location. These "informed" individuals were then placed into new groups of uninformed individuals and researchers asked which group - those with informed dominant or subordinate males - more quickly learned to associate a coloured light with food.

The cost of being domineering
The researchers observed the movement of the fish and found that in routine social interactions the dominant males exerted the greatest influential by chasing and pushing the group around. But in the more complex task, where influence was not forced on the group, but rather individuals had a choice about who to follow, it was subordinate males who wielded the greatest influence in their social groups. In groups with a subordinate male as demonstrator, fish quickly came to a consensus about which light to follow, moving together as a coherent unit to succeed in the task. With a dominant male as the informant, groups were far slower to reach consensus, if they did at all.

Breaking down behaviour with machine learning
By using additional machine-learning based animal tracking, employing cutting edge techniques developed in the computer sciences, researchers were able to break down the behavioural differences between dominant and subordinate male: dominant males were central in behavioural social networks (they frequently interacted with others) but they occupied peripheral locations in spatial networks (they were avoided by others). The technology provided insights never before available, revealing the mechanisms of influence as well as the outcome.

"By capturing behavioural data that are impossible to be measured with the naked eye, our automated tracking methods revealed that it was not the difference in social position between dominant and subordinate per se, but rather in the way they moved and interacted with others," says co-first author Paul Nührenberg, a doctoral student at the Cluster of Excellence "Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour" at the University of Konstanz. "These behavioural differences lead directly to differences in social influence."
Facts:
Rethinking leadership
This result touches on the evolution of animal societies as well as leadership structures in organisations. "In many societies, whether animal or human, individuals in positions of power all possess a similar suite of traits, which are aggression, intimidation and coercion," says Jordan. "But effective communication requires the presence of a diversity of voices, not just the loudest. Our results from a natural system show that allowing alternative pathways to positions of power may be useful in creating stronger advisory, governmental, and educational structures."

A new study of fish behaviour conducted by researchers from the University of Konstanz, the co-located Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and the University of Texas at Austin shows that dominant individuals can influence a group through force, but passive individuals are far better at bringing a group to consensus.

Using the social cichlid, Astatotilapia burtoni, which forms strict social hierarchies of dominant and subordinate males, the study separated the effects of social dominance from social influence by examining groups in two different contexts: routine social behaviour, or a more complex social learning task.

The study used additional machine-learning based animal tracking, employing cutting edge techniques developed in the computer sciences, to break down the behavioural differences between dominant and subordinate males.

Original publication: Mariana Rodriguez-Santiago, Paul Nührenberg, James Derry, Oliver Deussen, Fritz A Francisco, Linda K Garrison , Sylvia F Garza, Hans A Hofmann, Alex Jordan, "Behavioral traits that define social dominance are the same that reduce social influence in a consensus task", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 16 July 15th. URL: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2000158117.

Researchers include scientists from the Cluster of Excellence "Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour" at the University of Konstanz and the co-located Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany, and the University of Texas at Austin.

Funded by the National Science Foundation BEACON, the DFG Cluster of Excellence 2117 "Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour" (ID: 422037984).

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New study finds that groups led by subordinate males outperform those led by dominant and aggressive males Being the strongest, biggest and most aggressive individual in a group might make you dominant, but it doesn't mean you make all the decisions.