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Articles by Andrew Barron
A taxonomy of minds
Professor Andrew Barron is director of the Macquarie University Minds and Intelligences Research Centre. His research examines the evolution of brains and animal cognition. He is currently supported by research grants from the Templeton World Charity Foundation, The John Templeton Foundation, The Australian Research Council and the Ian and Shirley Norman Foundation.
Single National Formulary: solution or distraction?
Single National Formulary: solution or distraction? Free Statistics from Altmetric.com Request Permissions If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.
Bees exhibit emotion-like behaviours
It’s easy for us to tell if someone is enjoying their meal or not. They lick their lips if they like it, grimace if they don’t. Our new research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows we might be able to read insects’ facial expressions in a similar way. This offers potential insights into their inner lives – and builds on a wave of new work that is daring to suggest insects might have a form of consciousness.
Bees 'facial expressions' may be a sign of their inner lives
Credit: Cwyn Solvi/The Bee Lab at Southern Medical University It's easy for us to tell if someone is enjoying their meal or not. They lick their lips if they like it, grimace if they don't. Our new research, published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows we might be able to read insects' facial expressions in a similar way.
Bees ‘facial expressions’ may be a sign of their inner lives
© 2026 Tolerance.ca ® Inc. All reproduction rights reserved. All information reproduced on the Web pages of www.tolerance.ca (including articles, images, photographs, and logos) is protected by intellectual property rights owned by Tolerance.ca ® Inc. or, in certain cases, by its author. Any reproduction of the information for use other than personal use is prohibited.
Bees ‘facial expressions’ may be a sign of their inner lives Original
It’s easy for us to tell if someone is enjoying their meal or not. They lick their lips if they like it, grimace if they don’t. Our new research, published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows we might be able to read insects’ facial expressions in a similar way. This offers potential insights into their inner lives – and builds on a wave of new work that is daring to suggest insects might have a form of consciousness.
Single National Formulary: solution or distraction?
Evidence-Based Medicine Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation Therapeutics Pharmacy The UK Government‘s 10-Year Health Plan for England identifies a problem: patients do not consistently receive rapid and equitable treatment with cost-effective medicines.1 However, the proposed Single National Formulary (SNF) risks repeating past mistakes by attempting to solve the wrong problems and is already drawing concerns from local National Health Service (NHS) teams and industry alike.2 A...
Head direction and the evolutionary origins of spatial representation
Keywords spatial cognition neural representation ring attractor animal navigation neural circuit evolution Neural representations of space A central aspect of cognition is the internal representation of the external world. Views differ on what precisely should be considered a bona fide neural representation [1,2]. For this opinion article, we follow the definition of representation as a neural process that functionally substitutes for something else [3].
Bumblebees can perceive rhythm
Humans are creatures of rhythms. As far as we know, humans have always sung and always danced. We can recognise a song by its rhythm alone, regardless of whether it is played fast or slow. We seem to have an almost effortless capacity to pick up on rhythmic patterns, and we have presumed this ability to require the very large and powerful human brain. But our new research, published in the journal Science, shows humans are not alone in mastering rhythm.
Bumblebees can perceive rhythm, despite their brains being the size of a sesame seed
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Humans are creatures of rhythms. As far as we know, humans have always sung and always danced. We can recognize a song by its rhythm alone, regardless of whether it is played fast or slow. We seem to have an almost effortless capacity to pick up on rhythmic patterns, and we have presumed this ability to require the very large and powerful human brain. But our new research, published in the journal Science, shows humans are not alone in mastering rhythm.
Bumblebees can perceive rhythm, despite their brains being the size of a sesame seed
ClickerHappy/Pexels Humans are creatures of rhythms. As far as we know, humans have always sung and always danced. We can recognise a song by its rhythm alone, regardless of whether it is played fast or slow. We seem to have an almost effortless capacity to pick up on rhythmic patterns, and we have presumed this ability to require the very large and powerful human brain. But our new research, published today in the journal Science, shows humans are not alone in mastering rhythm.
Bumblebees can perceive rhythm, despite their brains being the size of a sesame seed
Humans are creatures of rhythms. As far as we know, humans have always sung and always danced. We can recognise a song by its rhythm alone, regardless of whether it is played fast or slow. We seem to have an almost effortless capacity to pick up on rhythmic patterns, and we have presumed this ability to require the very large and powerful human brain. But our new research, published today in the journal Science, shows humans are not alone in mastering rhythm.
Bumblebees can perceive rhythm, despite their brains being the size of a sesame seed
Humans are creatures of rhythms. As far as we know, humans have always sung and always danced. We can recognise a song by its rhythm alone, regardless of whether it is played fast or slow. We seem to have an almost effortless capacity to pick up on rhythmic patterns, and we have presumed this ability to require the very large and powerful human brain. But our new research, published today in the journal Science, shows humans are not alone in mastering rhythm.
Bumblebees can perceive rhythm, despite their brains being the size of a sesame seed
ClickerHappy/Pexels Humans are creatures of rhythms. As far as we know, humans have always sung and always danced. We can recognise a song by its rhythm alone, regardless of whether it is played fast or slow. We seem to have an almost effortless capacity to pick up on rhythmic patterns, and we have presumed this ability to require the very large and powerful human brain. But our new research, published today in the journal Science, shows humans are not alone in mastering rhythm.
Could Bees and ChatGPT Be Conscious? Scientists Are Seriously Asking
A growing scientific debate is exploring whether consciousness might extend far beyond humans. New research suggests that both animals and artificial intelligence could potentially possess conscious experiences, but determining this requires looking deeper than outward behavior. Credit: Shutterstock Researchers propose that the key to identifying consciousness in animals and AI lies in understanding how their information processing systems work.
Construction Safety Data Reveals Injury Timing Patterns and Reporting Gaps
Construction organizations put enormous effort into safety. Walk any job and you’ll see it in motion: inductions, JHAs, permit sign-ons, PTPs, inspections, observations, etc. But anyone with site experience knows that effort alone doesn’t necessarily equate to success. The industry generates a huge amount of safety activity, but very little of it produces a clear view of what is actually happening on site.
Are Animals and AI Conscious? Scientists Devise New Theories for How to Test This
You might think a honey bee foraging in your garden and a browser window running ChatGPT have nothing in common. But recent scientific research has been seriously considering the possibility that either, or both, might be conscious. There are many different ways of studying consciousness. One of the most common is to measure how an animal—or artificial intelligence—acts.
Are animals and AI conscious? Researchers devise theories for how to test this
You might think a honey bee foraging in your garden and a browser window running ChatGPT have nothing in common. But recent scientific research has been seriously considering the possibility that either, or both, might be conscious. There are many different ways of studying consciousness. One of the most common is to measure how an animal—or artificial intelligence (AI)—acts.
Are animals and AI conscious? We’ve devised new theories for how to test this Original
You might think a honey bee foraging in your garden and a browser window running ChatGPT have nothing in common. But recent scientific research has been seriously considering the possibility that either, or both, might be conscious. There are many different ways of studying consciousness. One of the most common is to measure how an animal – or artificial intelligence (AI) – acts.
New FinCEN Reporting Requirement for Nonfinanced Transfers of Residential Real Estate to Entities and Trusts
While all eyes have been focused on the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has issued a final rule (the rule) that requires the reporting of beneficial ownership information in connection with certain nonfinanced transfers of U.S. residential real property. The rule describes the circumstances in which a report must be filed, who files the report, what information needs to be provided and when the report is due.
[2411.16917] Are Transformers Truly Foundational for Robotics?
arXiv:2411.16917 (cs) View PDF Subjects: Robotics (cs.RO); Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI) Cite as: arXiv:2411.16917 [cs.RO] (or arXiv:2411.16917v1 [cs.RO] for this version) https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2411.16917 Submission history From: James Marshall [ view email] [v1] Mon, 25 Nov 2024 20:35:01 UTC (1,309 KB) Bibliographic Tools Bibliographic Explorer Toggle Bibliographic Explorer () Connected Papers Toggle Connected Papers (What is Connected Papers?) Litmaps Toggle Litmaps (What is...
Faith Today Magazines Canada - Christian News Magazine Canada
Magazines Not only do we live in a world of human difference, but that God wants us to live in this kind of world, for our flourishing, according to a new book by Andrew Barron, a Toronto author who lives with a son who has Down Syndrome. It’s funny how much difference an extra chromosome makes. Rafi’s difference lay in his chromosomal composition – those small bundles of genes have a lot to say about how the body and mind develop.
Andrew Barron / Human Difference and Disability
[The following essay is excerpted from Andrew Barron’s Human Difference: Reflections on a Life in Proximity to Disability (Cascade, 2024).] It is funny what a difference an extra Chromosome makes. We had no reason to expect that Rafi would be the kind of difference that would so profoundly affect the trajectory of his life. And ours. His difference lay in his chromosomal composition; those small bundles of genes have a lot to say about how the body and mind develop.
[2407.18802] Log-Concave Coupling for Sampling Neural Net Posteriors
arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website. Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them. Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs.
[2406.17929] Asymptotically Minimax Regret by Bayes Mixtures
arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website. Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them. Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs.
Comparing cognition across major transitions using the hierarchy of formal automata
1 INTRODUCTION Smith and Szathmáry (1997) posited a small number of major transitions in the history of life. Major transitions are conceptually important because they pick out “changes in the evolutionary process itself” that had the result of “amplifying the kinds of further change that are possible” (Calcott & Sterelny, 2011a, p. 4).
Understanding the limits to animal cognition
Summary The thriving field of comparative cognition examines the behaviour of diverse animals in cognitive terms. Comparative cognition research has primarily focused on the abilities of animals — what tasks they can do — rather than on the limits of their cognition — tasks that exceed an animal’s cognitive abilities. We propose that understanding and identifying cognitive limits is as important as demonstrating the capacities of animal minds.
Quantifying the impact of crop coverings on honey bee orientation and foraging in sweet cherry orchards using RFID
1 INTRODUCTION Global horticultural production and ecological stability are reliant on the services provided by insect pollinators. It is estimated that over 75% of crops require pollination, amounting to one third of the total food supply (Klein et al., 2007; Porto et al., 2020). Modern agricultural production systems are often optimized for plant growth and crop production, rather than pollinator health and efficiency (Evans et al., 2019; Hall et al., 2020; Kovacs-Hostyanszki et al., 2017).
Is a Trust Better Protection Than a Prenup?
Preparing for your child’s wedding should be a joyful experience, so it should come as no surprise when a family business owner avoids bringing up a prenuptial agreement. Business owners and families of wealth should know that a properly structured trust can be a very effective alternative to a prenuptial agreement.
Recent Federal and State Law Developments Impacting Estate Planning in Pennsylvania
Under federal law each individual has a lifetime federal estate and gift tax exemption (the E&T Exemption) and a generation skipping transfer tax exemption (the GST Exemption together with the E&T Exemption, the Individual Exemptions), which both increased to $13,610,000 in 2024 from $12,920,000 in 2023.
Mediation and Other ADR Methods Help Divorce Litigants Circumvent Costs and Delays
When I practiced family law in Georgia for 12 years, mediation or other forms of alternative dispute resolution were ordered in every case. Indeed, no judge would hear any nonemergency matter without litigants jumping through this required hoop. The courts scheduled multiple cases to be heard at the same time. While one case was being heard, the parties for the other cases were meeting with mediators.
How to Identify When an Employee Benefits Plan Discriminates on the Basis of Gender Identity
There are several ways that a beneficiary can challenge a health care plan’s denial of coverage for gender-affirming care. First, denials might run afoul of federal and state civil rights laws prohibiting workplace discrimination on the basis of sex. Second, ambiguous or vague denial criteria might be challenged under ERISA, where applicable.
ABLE Accounts: Tax-Free Growth for Individuals With Disabilities
Individuals with disabilities who receive means-tested government benefits are disqualified from such benefits if they exceed asset or income limits. Living within these meager limits can be quite burdensome, especially for those without family support. Estate planners often draft special needs trusts (SNTs) to supplement, but not supplant, public benefits without affecting eligibility. While SNTs can be excellent planning tools, they are not the only option.
Impact of isolated and unattractive crops on honeybee foraging: A case study using radio frequency identification and hybrid carrot seed crops
INTRODUCTION Honeybees are critical for food production; however, many modern agricultural systems are optimised for crop growth rather than pollinator health (Kendall et al., 2021; St. Clair et al., 2020). High intensity agriculture can directly influence honeybee health and behaviour through factors such as low floral diversity, poor nutrition and increased pesticide use (Goulson et al., 2015; St. Clair et al., 2020).
High performance thermoelectrics from low-cost and abundant CuS/CuI composites
High performance thermoelectrics from low-cost and abundant CuS/CuI composites Materials with simultaneously excellent electrical conductivity (σ) and high Seebeck coefficient (S) are important for thermoelectric applications. However, obtaining such materials is a difficult task as σ and S vary inversely with respect to each other. Here, a new fabrication process has been demonstrated that produces composite materials with desired properties.
Comment on “Food wanting is mediated by transient activation of dopaminergic signaling in the honey bee brain”
Abstract Huang et al. (1) make an exciting claim about a human-like dopamine-regulated neuromodulatory mechanism underlying food-seeking behavior in honey bees. Their claim is based on experiments designed to measure brain biogenic amine levels and manipulate receptor activity. We have concerns that need to be addressed before broad acceptance of their results and the interpretation provided.
The Relationship between Cognition and Brain Size or Neuron Number
Record: found Abstract: found Article: found Author(s): , Publication date (Electronic): ScienceOpenPublisherPubMed There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience. The comparative approach is a powerful way to explore the relationship between brain structure and cognitive function.
Bioactive Phenolic Compounds from Apples during Simulated In Vitro Gastrointestinal Digestion: Kinetics of Their Release
Abstract : Bioactive phenolic compounds in their natural form show beneficial effects on the gastrointestinal system. The kinetics of their release are important for understanding those effects. The aim was to study the kinetics of the release of phenolic compounds from apples during in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion by using modified equations of first- and second-order kinetics.
Effectiveness of biosimilar adoption within a UK tertiary hospital: 6‐year follow‐up
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. REFERENCES 1 European Medicines Agency. Biosimilar medicines: overview. Accessed November 13, 2022. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/human-regulatory/overview/biosimilar-medicines-overview 2 NHS England, NHS Improvement, NHS Clinical Commissioners. Commissioning framework for biological medicines (including biosimilar medicines). Version 1. Gateway reference: 06924. Published online September 2017.
Africa: All Animal Intelligence Was Shaped By Just 5 Leaps in Brain Evolution
The animal world is full of different types of intelligence, from the simple bodily coordination of jellyfish to the navigation abilities of bees, the complex songs of birds and the imaginative symbolic thought of humans. In an article published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, we argue the evolution of all these kinds of animal intelligence has been shaped by just five major changes in the computational capacity of brains.
Bees Are Astonishingly Good at Making Decisions-and This Computer Model Explains How That’s Possible
A honey bee’s life depends on it successfully harvesting nectar from flowers to make honey. Deciding which flower is most likely to offer nectar is incredibly difficult. Getting it right demands correctly weighing up subtle cues on flower type, age, and history—the best indicators a flower might contain a tiny drop of nectar. Getting it wrong is at best a waste of time, and at worst means exposure to a lethal predator hiding in the flowers.
All Animal Intelligence Was Shaped by Just Five Leaps in Brain Evolution
The animal world is full of different types of intelligence, from the simple bodily coordination of jellyfish to the navigation abilities of bees, the complex songs of birds, and the imaginative symbolic thought of humans. In an article published this week in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, we argue the evolution of all these kinds of animal intelligence has been shaped by just five major changes in the computational capacity of brains.
All animal intelligence was shaped by just five leaps in brain evolution, new paper argues
The animal world is full of different types of intelligence, from the simple bodily coordination of jellyfish to the navigation abilities of bees, the complex songs of birds and the imaginative symbolic thought of humans. In an article published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, we argue the evolution of all these kinds of animal intelligence has been shaped by just five major changes in the computational capacity of brains.
Transitions in cognitive evolution
1. Introduction The evolution of animals' cognitive capacities, like that of any trait, was a mostly incremental affair [1,2]. Yet some authors have postulated a few larger qualitative jumps—one or more major transitions in cognitive evolution. Smith & Szathmáry's [3] work on major transitions in the history of life showed how changes in inheritance opened up phenotypic space in wholly novel ways.
All animal intelligence was shaped by just 5 leaps in brain evolution
© 2023 Tolerance.ca ® Inc. All reproduction rights reserved. All information reproduced on the Web pages of www.tolerance.ca (including articles, images, photographs, and logos) is protected by intellectual property rights owned by Tolerance.ca ® Inc. or, in certain cases, by its author. Any reproduction of the information for use other than personal use is prohibited.
Bees are astonishingly good at making decisions-and our computer model explains how that's possible Original
A honey bee's life depends on it successfully harvesting nectar from flowers to make honey. Deciding which flower is most likely to offer nectar is incredibly difficult. Getting it right demands correctly weighing up subtle cues on flower type, age and history—the best indicators a flower might contain a tiny drop of nectar. Getting it wrong is at best a waste of time, and at worst means exposure to a lethal predator hiding in the flowers.
Bees are astonishingly good at making decisions - and our computer model explains how that's possible
A honey bee’s life depends on it successfully harvesting nectar from flowers to make honey. Deciding which flower is most likely to offer nectar is incredibly difficult. Getting it right demands correctly weighing up subtle cues on flower type, age and history – the best indicators a flower might contain a tiny drop of nectar. Getting it wrong is at best a waste of time, and at worst means exposure to a lethal predator hiding in the flowers.
Bees are astonishingly good at making decisions - and our computer model explains how that's possible
A honey bee’s life depends on it successfully harvesting nectar from flowers to make honey. Deciding which flower is most likely to offer nectar is incredibly difficult. Getting it right demands correctly weighing up subtle cues on flower type, age and history – the best indicators a flower might contain a tiny drop of nectar. Getting it wrong is at best a waste of time, and at worst means exposure to a lethal predator hiding in the flowers.
Bees Are Astonishingly Good at Making Decisions
The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. A honey bee’s life depends on it successfully harvesting nectar from flowers to make honey. Deciding which flower is most likely to offer nectar is incredibly difficult. Getting it right demands correctly weighing up subtle cues on flower type, age and history – the best indicators a flower might contain a tiny drop of nectar.
Bees are astonishingly good at making decisions – and our computer model explains how that's possible Original
A honey bee’s life depends on it successfully harvesting nectar from flowers to make honey. Deciding which flower is most likely to offer nectar is incredibly difficult. Getting it right demands correctly weighing up subtle cues on flower type, age and history – the best indicators a flower might contain a tiny drop of nectar. Getting it wrong is at best a waste of time, and at worst means exposure to a lethal predator hiding in the flowers.
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