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We once again have new evidence of the universality of facial expressions (and emotions), but this time from a new approach. In a new study was examined the occurrence of 16 expressions in 6 million videos from 144 countries using machine learning.

Potential applications of this study include helping people who have trouble reading emotions, such as children and adults with autism, recognize the faces that humans make to convey certain feelings.

Neural networks

At least since the time of Aristotle, scholars have tried to understand how and why the face reveals our feelings, from joy to sadness. The debate on universality is fundamental to understanding the nature, causes and functions of emotions.

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The Duchenne smile, probably the most sincere smile

The study, in two experiments using deep neural networks, examined the extent to which 16 types of facial expressions were systematically produced in thousands of contexts in 6 million videos from 144 countries.

In each region, certain facial configurations were observed relatively more frequently in certain contexts. The associations were subtle (i.e., the magnitude of associations between facial expression and context tended to be weak), but, surprisingly, the expression-context association pattern observed in videos from one region of the world was similar to those in from other regions of the world.

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Your mood depends on the mood of others (and II)

For example, across the various regions sampled, people in the videos performed facial-muscular movements labeled 'awe' more frequently in contexts that involved fireworks, a parent, toys, a pet, and dancing than in contexts that did not include these. items. such as those related to music, art, police and team sports.

It was thus discovered that each type of facial expression had different associations with a set of contexts that were conserved in a 70% in 12 regions of the world.

16 facial expressions that one tends to associate with amusement, anger, amazement, concentration, confusion, contempt, satisfaction, desire, disappointment, doubt, elation, interest, pain, sadness, surprise and triumph.

According to these associations, regions varied in the frequency with which different facial expressions occurred depending on which contexts were most salient. The results reveal fine patterns in human facial expressions that are conserved throughout the modern world.

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The news

Thanks to AI we now know that there are 16 universal facial expressions

was originally published in

Xataka Science

by
Sergio Parra

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The end of the second season of the series has finally arrived. The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian), on Disney +, and we take advantage of all the emotions that this last chapter has aroused in us to analyze one of the guiding themes of the season (don't worry, this article is free of spoilers).

The topic under discussion is none other than tribalism and that we tend to have (and defend) a worldview, a set of beliefs and values, depending on the place where we were born. And that our loyalty to this group to which we belong is beyond the moral considerations of the acts themselves.

Dark Side and tribalism

Four recent studies have suggested the existence of a social norm according to which two competing groups or teams cannot be supported simultaneously. You can only be loyal to one group. That is to say, we are binary, and Manichean, when it comes to defining the world: there are the good and the bad, the Dark Side and the Light Side. Naturally, we always believe that we are on the right side.

Any individual who expresses mixed loyalties may be seen as a potential threat, not a true member of the group, and may be rejected or excluded. It is something that happens, for example, with the character of Migs Mayfield They infiltrate an Empire base of operations to get the exact location of the Star Destroyer. Moff Gideon to be able to rescue Grogu (in the chapter The Believer, the penultimate one of season two).

His loyalties are flexible, and that has allowed him to reflect from the sidelines and notice that we are all, in part, a function of where we were born. That we are all bad or good depending on who describes us.

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These are the reasons why the left and the right denigrate science

That reflection is what will also push Din Djarin, commonly known as "the Mandalorian" or "Mando", to take off his helmet and break his code. At the end of the day, your code is just another discretion imposed by the group to which you belong in order to differentiate yourself from enemy or opposing groups.

Breaking loyalty with your group can not only condemn you to social exclusion, but is burdensome in every way, as suggested another study published in Journal of Experimental Social Psychology which states that the moral value of loyalty is above the moral value of honesty. Therefore, people who lied to benefit their groups under conditions of loyalty judged their deception as ethical, even though his actions harmed others.

Consequently, people who are dishonest out of loyalty feel that they are acting ethically and morally. But outsiders disagree and see such actions as immoral and evil, unless they themselves lie out of loyalty.

The researchers were interested in what happens when loyalty rubs up against values ​​like honesty and justice, and to demonstrate this they worked with almost 1,400 participants over the course of four different studies.

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In times of COVID we are polarizing more than ever: the objectification of those who think differently than us

Ultimately, the researchers found that when people were called upon to be loyal, their moral views on deception and honesty changed.

For this reason, in politics, the true psychological basis of voting is not beliefs but group identity, that is, ingroup bias and tribalism. Feeling that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. That others accept us. That we wear the colors, the flags, the songs or a beskar helmet, and that we merge with them in a kind of social dance that basically produces dopamine. That happens here and, also, in the Star Wars galaxy. Because, as far as we know, the Jedi have brains like ours. And also the Mandalorians.

If your level of geekism is high, you can delve into these and other philosophical questions in the penultimate and last chapters of the second season of The Mandalorian in the next viewing (this time with spoilers):

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'The Mandalorian' shows us that we tend to be loyal to a group even if we cause evil

was originally published in

Xataka Science

by
Sergio Parra

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Aenigmachanna gollum belongs to an ancient family of fish, called dragon snake heads, which preserves its primitive characteristics. Scientists have named it in honor of the dark character from JRR Tolkien's epic saga. The Lord of the rings.

It looks like a dragon, swims like an eel, and has been hidden for a hundred million years. After a post on social media, it piqued the curiosity of a researcher in Kerala. And this is what he discovered.

living fossil

The discovery of a new family of fish is very rare. Dragon snakeheads have eluded scientists until now because they live in underground aquifers and come to the surface only after heavy flooding caused by rain.

In Xataka Science

Global animal populations have declined by an average of two-thirds in less than half a century.

According to your study, the closest relative of the family Aenigmachannidae is he Channidae, of which at least 50 species can be found in the streams and lakes of Asia and tropical Africa. According to molecular analyses, the two families separated 34 million – 109 million years ago.

Based on computed tomography, molecular genetics and morphological methods, Ben's study was able to detect several significant differences between the Aenigmachanna and other snakehead fish of the Channidae family.

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Seven animals that changed science forever

It is therefore suggested that Aenigmachanna It is a lineage of Gondwana, which has survived the breakup of the supercontinent, with India separating from Africa about 120 million years ago.

We are, therefore, facing a living fossil.

The lack of evolution can be seen in the shortened swim bladder of dragon snakeheads, as well as a smaller number of vertebrae with ribs. These indicate that the family is less specialized than normal snakeheads. The family also has eyes and reddish-brown pigmentation, which is unusual as most subterranean fish are pale and have no eyes.

Unlike the Channidae, the Aenigmachannidae They also lack the suprabranchial organ that allows them to breathe air and proliferate widely.

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Aenigmachanna gollum, the bony fish named after Gollum, from 'The Lord of the Rings'

was originally published in

Xataka Science

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Sergio Parra

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Although it has a skeleton similar to many small dinosaurs from the previous Jurassic Period, on the outside we are looking at an unusual dinosaur. The call Ubirajara jubatus had a mane of hair-like structures and at the same time it presented two completely unique features.

About 110 million years ago, along the banks of an ancient lagoon in what is now northeastern Brazil, it walked on two legs and was the size of a chicken. AND has just been described in the magazine Cretaceous Research.

Two unique features

On the one hand, Ubirajara jubatus it must have displayed a dense crest of primitive feather-like structures, more like down than anything else. On the other hand, two very long “spikes” emerged from each of his shoulders. Both the crest and spines appear to have been made of keratin, the same protein that gives resistance to our nails or our hair.

Ubirajara's ribbon-like structures may have been used for display, possibly to attract companions or intimidate adversaries. They appear to be relatively flattened, like rigid ribbons, and in the middle of one of their faces, they have a longitudinal edge.

The hair-like structures of the Ubirajara appear to be a rudimentary form of feathers called protofeathers. Many dinosaurs had feathers. In fact, Birds evolved from small feathered dinosaurs about 150 million years ago.

Ubirajara jubatus It fed by hunting insects and perhaps small vertebrates such as frogs and lizards.

While it is impossible to tell from the fossil, which arrived at a museum in the state of Ceará in the early 1990s, it is suspected that the Ubirajara may have displayed vivid colors.

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What is possibly the rarest dinosaur found to date is found

was originally published in

Xataka Science

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Sergio Parra

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Within the small volume of a single cell, reactants are bound together in a confined space through highly evolved chemical recognition events. The way nature controls chemical reactivity within a cell is what any organic chemist could dream of: multiple reactions that can be specifically controlled in complex mixtures without any cross-reactivity.

Inspired by this, a group of researchers from the University of Rome has published A study in Nature in which the use of antibodies to control chemical reactions is demonstrated.

IgG antibodies

The study has thus demonstrated the possibility of using bivalent biomolecules (i.e., IgG antibodies) to induce proximity between reagents and thus control their chemical reactivity.

For the first time, therefore, the possibility of controlling reactions with antibodies is opened, which allows the formation of reaction products to be controlled, and that these are generated only in the presence of specific antibodies.

These reaction products can be designed to be functional molecules, with therapeutic use, for example.

In this specific study, the formation of an anticoagulant agent is demonstrated through the reaction induced by the presence of the specific antibody. We see how only in the presence of the antibody in question, the anticoagulant agent is formed and then inhibits the activity of thrombin (a key enzyme in blood clotting).

The strategy is very versatile, allowing it to be applied to any type of reaction (that is, generating a wide variety of products) and to be designed for any type of IgG antibody.

IgG antibodies are notable biomarkers; They are the signs that provide us with indications about many diseases and how our immune system counteracts them. The potential ability of IgG antibodies to control chemical reactions would allow the formation of different molecules, ranging from imaging to therapeutic agents, only when a specific diagnostic IgG antibody is present in our body. It is thus predicted that this strategy could find applications in diagnosis and therapy.

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The news

It is possible to use antibodies to control chemical reactions and form certain types of molecules with therapeutic use

was originally published in

Xataka Science

by
Sergio Parra

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Post memes ridiculing those who They refuse to get vaccinated for COVID-19 It is something that has become fashionable, as have memes ridiculing those who are in favor of the vaccine.

However, neither the real objective of these memes is to change the opinions of others, nor are they very effective (rather they produce the opposite effect). In a nutshell, Posting memes on social media unlikely to change minds about vaccination.

Why do we post memes?

Two decades of research show that we post memes or any other content on social media for three fundamental reasons:

• To show an idealized image from ourselves. That is to say, to sell ourselves in society.
• To show and support our memberships in groups, whether it be our family, a political party, or our love for a sports team (also whether we are pro-science or anti-science).
• Draw attention and receive feedback. It is a way to get attention and likes from like-minded people within the social media circle.

Influence others and change their opinions It is the fourth reason to post content on social media, but it is usually the least important for our purposes. Furthermore, this fourth reason may only be effective on the subset of people who are influential on social media, either because they are very popular and have a large following on social media or because they are experts in a particular field.

For most social media users the three main motivations are much more relevant. Posting a pro-vaccine meme is a way to publicly express support for vaccination and all related political and social positions associated with said support.

Furthermore, as already suggested by scientific literature about itIn general, attempts to persuade someone with a point of view opposite to our own harden and polarize the target's existing attitudes. Let's not say if these attempts are covered in the sarcasm of a meme.

In regarding vaccinesIn addition, we are in an urgent scenario where there is an excess of contradictory information. We could try to do pedagogy, try to inform people, even try to persuade them with the best possible rhetoric. However, if this doesn't work and we are in a hurry, it would be like trying to debate with the airline passenger about how to proceed in the face of an oncoming storm.

Finally, we must place our trust, to a greater or lesser extent, in the pilot's decisions (which can be publicly audited); and to achieve this without stumbling into totalitarianism, perhaps a more useful strategy would be the so-called libertarian paternalism:

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The news

Posting memes mocking COVID-19 anti-vaccines has the opposite effect to that intended (which in reality we do not intend)

was originally published in

Xataka Science

by
Sergio Parra

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