How good is our sense of smell? The general perception is that human olfactory senses are poor when compared to many other animals like dogs. But now a study says that we can sniff out different odours much more accurately and faster.

Humans can distinguish between two odours presented within a single sniff much more rapidly than previously thought, according to the study published in Nature Human Behaviour Journal.

The study found that the human sense of smell is also attuned to rapid changes in odours, almost similar to how our eyes distinguish between different colours.

Watch: Is sense of smell linked to cognitive health?

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The research used a new sniff-triggered apparatus that did a controlled delivery of odorants with a precision of 18 milliseconds.&nbsp;

For context, a sniff in humans typically lasts one to three seconds.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/babies-use-scent-of-their-mothers-to-see-faces-of-people-study-742706">Also read: Babies use scent of their mothers to 'see' faces of people: Study</a>

The research led by Dr Wen Zhou from the Chinese Academy of Sciences tested 229 participants across 649 sessions.

They found the participants could distinguish two separate odours presented in just 60 milliseconds apart.

The ability to distinguish the odours improved with longer time gaps.

The researchers concluded that human olfactory sensitivity is not only quick but also nuanced.&nbsp;

What's more, the ability to sniff out different smells does not rely on conscious knowledge or the amount of odour molecules present.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/dogs-are-altering-their-behaviour-after-smelling-stress-in-humans-study-743304">Also read: Dogs are altering their behaviour after smelling stress in humans: Study</a> 
 
In one experiment, two scents – an apple-like odour and a floral scent – were precisely sequenced and delivered in a controlled manner via tubes of varying lengths.&nbsp;

One scent was set to reach the nose around 120 to 180 milliseconds before the other.

The participants were correctly able to identify the smells, as well as tell which odour came first in 597 out of 952 trials, an accuracy of 63 per cent.

They got similar results when the trials were done on another 70 individuals with odours similar to lemon and onion.

So according to the study, we can sniff out smells at a timescale far faster than what was understood earlier.&nbsp;

“Overall, the discrimination between a pair of temporal mixtures is not dependent on accurately recognising the order of the constituent odorants,” said Zhou.&nbsp;

“Instead, it seems to be driven by a mechanism that operates on a much faster timescale than that involved in the serial recognition of mixture components,” she was quoted as saying in The Guardian.

(With inputs from agencies)

How good is our sense of smell? The general perception is that human olfactory senses are poor when compared to many other animals like dogs. But now a study says that we can sniff out different odours much more accurately and faster.

How good is our sense of smell? The general perception is that human olfactory senses are poor when compared to many other animals like dogs. But now a study says that we can sniff out different odours much more accurately and faster. Humans can distinguish between two odours presented within a single sniff much more rapidly than previously thought, according to the study published in Nature Human Behaviour Journal. The study found that the human sense of smell is also attuned to rapid changes in odours, almost similar to how our eyes distinguish between different colours. Watch: Is sense of smell linked to cognitive health? × The research used a new sniff-triggered apparatus that did a controlled delivery of odorants with a precision of 18 milliseconds. For context, a sniff in humans typically lasts one to three seconds. Also read: Babies use scent of their mothers to 'see' faces of people: Study The research led by Dr Wen Zhou from the Chinese Academy of Sciences tested 229 participants across 649 sessions. They found the participants could distinguish two separate odours presented in just 60 milliseconds apart. The ability to distinguish the odours improved with longer time gaps. The researchers concluded that human olfactory sensitivity is not only quick but also nuanced. What's more, the ability to sniff out different smells does not rely on conscious knowledge or the amount of odour molecules present. Also read: Dogs are altering their behaviour after smelling stress in humans: Study In one experiment, two scents – an apple-like odour and a floral scent – were precisely sequenced and delivered in a controlled manner via tubes of varying lengths. One scent was set to reach the nose around 120 to 180 milliseconds before the other. The participants were correctly able to identify the smells, as well as tell which odour came first in 597 out of 952 trials, an accuracy of 63 per cent. They got similar results when the trials were done on another 70 individuals with odours similar to lemon and onion. So according to the study, we can sniff out smells at a timescale far faster than what was understood earlier. “Overall, the discrimination between a pair of temporal mixtures is not dependent on accurately recognising the order of the constituent odorants,” said Zhou. “Instead, it seems to be driven by a mechanism that operates on a much faster timescale than that involved in the serial recognition of mixture components,” she was quoted as saying in The Guardian. (With inputs from agencies)

Our sense of smell may not be as good as dogs', but we are better than earlier thought, says study

The police are looking for the two dogs&nbsp;responsible for killing a man who was discovered dead back of a home in Birmingham.

The 33-year-old man, who was taking care of his brother’s pet dogs, was found dead at the back garden of a home in Rubery on Wednesday.

Through postmortem records, it was observed that the cause of the man’s death could be due to a dog attack, as asserted by the police.

Police said two dogs have already been captured, but they are still looking for the American bulldogs, which are not considered a banned breed.

Inspector Leanne Chapman, of the West Midlands police dog unit, said: “We have officers liaising with vets and the local authority, and are using our drone capability to scour the wider area.”

Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/three-year-old-mauled-by-xl-bully-in-uk-after-government-banned-the-breed-703525">Three-year-old mauled by XL Bully in UK after government banned the breed</a>

“We really need to hear from anyone who has seen these dogs, and it’s vital that if you see them, you don’t approach them but call 999 immediately. Similarly, if you or someone you know has taken the dogs in after finding them loose, we need you to call us as soon as possible,” Chapman added.

<h2>Action taken by police</h2>

Police have released the image of one of the dogs they are searching for, which is brown with white marks on its body, while the other is said to be a black dog.

Understanding the seriousness of the situation, the police are visiting houses for inquiries, scanning CCTV recordings, and even using the help of a dog specialist officer and a drone to find the deadly dogs.

“This is a really tragic incident, and the family of the man is being supported by officers. The investigation into his death is continuing, and our priority right now is finding the other dogs that we believe may have been involved,” said Supt Sally Simpson of Birmingham police.

If the authorities determine that the dogs were the reason for the man’s death, it would be the seventh fatality from a dog attack in a single year in the UK.

The police are looking for the two dogs responsible for killing a man who was discovered dead back of a home in Birmingham. The 33-year-old man, who was taking care of his brother’s pet dogs, was found dead at the back garden of a home in Rubery on Wednesday.

The police are looking for the two dogs responsible for killing a man who was discovered dead back of a home in Birmingham. The 33-year-old man, who was taking care of his brother’s pet dogs, was found dead at the back garden of a home in Rubery on Wednesday. Through postmortem records, it was observed that the cause of the man’s death could be due to a dog attack, as asserted by the police. Police said two dogs have already been captured, but they are still looking for the American bulldogs, which are not considered a banned breed. Inspector Leanne Chapman, of the West Midlands police dog unit, said: “We have officers liaising with vets and the local authority, and are using our drone capability to scour the wider area.” Also Read: Three-year-old mauled by XL Bully in UK after government banned the breed “We really need to hear from anyone who has seen these dogs, and it’s vital that if you see them, you don’t approach them but call 999 immediately. Similarly, if you or someone you know has taken the dogs in after finding them loose, we need you to call us as soon as possible,” Chapman added. Action taken by police Police have released the image of one of the dogs they are searching for, which is brown with white marks on its body, while the other is said to be a black dog. Understanding the seriousness of the situation, the police are visiting houses for inquiries, scanning CCTV recordings, and even using the help of a dog specialist officer and a drone to find the deadly dogs. “This is a really tragic incident, and the family of the man is being supported by officers. The investigation into his death is continuing, and our priority right now is finding the other dogs that we believe may have been involved,” said Supt Sally Simpson of Birmingham police. If the authorities determine that the dogs were the reason for the man’s death, it would be the seventh fatality from a dog attack in a single year in the UK.

UK police are in search of two American bulldogs after a man was found dead at his home in Birmingham

New York Fashion Week isn't just for humans anymore. Recently, pet fashion couturier Anthony Rubio gained significant attention by showcasing his Fall/Winter 2024 Canine Couture women's wear collection on the runway, where the models were accompanied by adorable little furry companions, making for an unforgettable show.

New York Fashion Week isn't just for humans anymore. Recently, pet fashion couturier Anthony Rubio gained significant attention by showcasing his Fall/Winter 2024 Canine Couture women's wear collection on the runway, where the models were accompanied by adorable little furry companions, making for an unforgettable show. Different breeds of canine models walked the runway in their unique styles, dressed in colourful and shiny outfits. The event took place at The Angel Orensanz Foundation on the Lower East Side. Anthony Rubio is a designer who is known worldwide for creating jaw-dropping fashion looks for human's four-legged best friends. Julia Fox rocks bleached brows at Elena Velez Costume Ball during NYFW The dogs that presented Rubio's 2024 Canine Couture were either from shelters or rescue groups from places such as Quebec, Los Angeles and San Antonio, as per the New York Post. We all know that in Rubio's fashion world, ''the humans are the accessories,'' and giving his four-legged family utmost priority, the New York-based designer always tries to bring something unique and fresh to the Canine's fashion world. This year's collection was inspired by the line, ''Everything is coming up roses.'' In a statement, Rubio said, “We are living in dark times with wars breaking out, political feuds happening left and right, crime up, climate change causing devastation and we need an infusion of positivity.'' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lastminshoot (@lastminshoot) × ''Our four-legged family members [bring] love and joy, so I decided to have them bring about the message that it is time to stop and smell the roses," he added. Power blooms in Carolina Herrera's show at New York Fashion Week View this post on Instagram A post shared by Anthony Rubio (Couturier) (@anthonyrubio01) × This year, Rubio introduced the first doggy Birmingham Bag, which the designer calls, the Anthony Rubio Barkin Bag. Even the designer's own chihuahua Kimba, struts the runway wearing the yellow Birmingham bag with the matching trapeze coat. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Anthony Rubio (Couturier) (@anthonyrubio01) × Not only the canine friends but also the human models, showed up in fashionable outfits, ranging from red lace dresses to retro black shimmery outfits and beyond. One-third of the show's proceeds will go to pet adoption and animal rescue.

Dogs glam! Canine couture takes over the runway at New York Fashion Week

A recent study suggests that dogs wag their tail not only to indicate happiness but also to communicate other complex emotions. A team of European researchers proposed two major theories on the evolution of tail wagging in dogs in a recent study published in the journal Biology Letters.

A recent study suggests that dogs wag their tail not only to indicate happiness but also to communicate other complex emotions. A team of European researchers proposed two major theories on the evolution of tail wagging in dogs in a recent study published in the journal Biology Letters. The study suggests that when dogs experience a positive emotion, they tend to wag their tail more towards the right. However, their wagging inclines towards the left more when they have a negative emotion. The authors stated that wagging and arousal-related hormones or neurotransmitters might be linked in the dogs' bodies. They also mentioned that there might be a connection between the stress hormone cortisol and tail wagging. Silvia Leonetti, the study's first author and research assistant in comparative bioacoustics at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, told Newsweek, "Many animals have tails and use those tails for moving (an alligator swimming), balance ( a cat walking along a narrow fence), and removing pests (a horse swatting flies away from its body). But those examples contrast with domestic dogs, who use their tails primarily for communication rather than any other function." ALSO READ | Rhesus monkey cloned using new technique different from what was used for Dolly the sheep Dogs, compared to wolves, wag their tails more often and start from a very young age, suggesting that the behaviour evolved in the line after humans started domesticating them. Thus, dogs might have adapted wagging as a way to communicate with their human masters. "One study found that during food denial situations, dogs wagged their tails more when a human was present versus not, suggesting that tail wagging may also function as a requesting signal," the authors said. However, this evolution might not be deliberate. According to the study, wagging may have emerged as a by-product of another characteristic, like tameness or friendliness. The authors bred a cohort of silver foxes for over 40 generations for the research. They found that the foxes showed a dog-like tail-wagging behaviour after being selected for traits like tamability and docility. "Based on this, we hypothesise that the domestication process may have led to changes at the anatomical and behavioral level that altered tail wagging behavior in dogs," the authors said. Although these theories suggest how and why tail wagging evolved, there are many unanswered questions. "We are just scratching the surface," Andrea Ravignani, the study's senior author, said. It remains a mystery how dogs control their behaviour and how well they decipher the meaning of wagging among other dogs. "We echo the concerns of other researchers that these procedures may impair the communicative repertoire of an animal (although this should be empirically tested by comparing breeds) and reduce how well a dog can express its feelings and communicate," Ravignani said. (With inputs from agencies)

Dogs wag their tail to convey a lot more than just happiness, study finds

We know that dogs have evolved particular facial muscles to appear more cute to humans, but have we unknowingly affected our canine friends' eyes? Apparently, yes.

New research suggests that ever since humans domesticated canines some 15,000 to 50,000 years ago, we have selected particular traits in dogs...eye colour included.

<h2>Impacting evolution: The human way</h2>

Writing in the journal Royal Society Open Science, researchers from Japan say that humans seem to have a penchant for puppy eyes, especially dark ones.

They found that among domesticated dogs, dark eyes are more common than their wild relatives. It was also observed that humans perceive dogs with a darker eye colour as more friendly and, thus, more desirable.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/empathy-with-our-closest-living-cousins-humans-and-apes-share-remarkable-social-memory-traits-study-finds-671294">‘Empathy with our closest living cousins’: Humans and apes share remarkable social memory traits, study finds</a>

Akitsugu Konno, the first author of the research, as quoted by The Guardian, said: "I speculate that lighter irises have some evolutionary advantage for wolves, but domestication has lost this selective pressure and darker eyes have emerged in some primitive dogs."

They believe that darker eyes may have been favoured by humans — consciously or unconsciously, during the domestication of canines from wolves to dogs.

"We speculate that a darker iris makes it more difficult to distinguish the size of the pupil and thus gives the illusion of a large pupil, which is associated with our perception of being more infant-like," adds Konno, from Teikyo University of Science.

A comparison of the iris colour of 22 images of grey wolves from different locations, with 81 images of domestic dogs, revealed that the domesticated canines had darker, reddish eyes.

<h2>Light colour or dark, which is cuter?</h2>

To give weight to their theory, the researchers conducted an experiment, where they created 12 pairs of images. Each pair showed a domestic dog with light eyes, and the same dog with dark eyes.&nbsp;

A selection of these pictures was shown to two groups of 76 and 66 people. The humans were asked to rate the dogs for various personality traits. They were also asked to rate how much they would like to interact with a dog or keep it.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/its-beginning-to-look-a-lot-like-cosmos-nasa-releases-breathtaking-image-of-a-cosmic-christmas-tree-671532">'It's beginning to look a lot like cosmos': NASA releases breathtaking image of a cosmic Christmas tree</a>

Results showed that dogs with darker eyes earned higher ratings. A higher number of people deemed them more easy-going, sociable and dependent, and less aggressive, intelligent and mature than their light-eyed counterparts.

"Overall, dogs with dark eyes may have evolved the trait largely as means to send non-threatening gaze signal to humans," said the researchers.

They found that eye colour was not directly related to the participant's desire to interact with or keep a dog. However, they speculate that the association of dark eyes with immaturity could be an influencing factor behind a human's desire to protect and care for a dog.

(With inputs from agencies)

We know that dogs have evolved particular facial muscles to appear more cute to humans, but have we unknowingly affected our canine friends' eyes? Apparently, yes.

We know that dogs have evolved particular facial muscles to appear more cute to humans, but have we unknowingly affected our canine friends' eyes? Apparently, yes. New research suggests that ever since humans domesticated canines some 15,000 to 50,000 years ago, we have selected particular traits in dogs...eye colour included. Impacting evolution: The human way Writing in the journal Royal Society Open Science, researchers from Japan say that humans seem to have a penchant for puppy eyes, especially dark ones. They found that among domesticated dogs, dark eyes are more common than their wild relatives. It was also observed that humans perceive dogs with a darker eye colour as more friendly and, thus, more desirable. Also read | ‘Empathy with our closest living cousins’: Humans and apes share remarkable social memory traits, study finds Akitsugu Konno, the first author of the research, as quoted by The Guardian, said: "I speculate that lighter irises have some evolutionary advantage for wolves, but domestication has lost this selective pressure and darker eyes have emerged in some primitive dogs." They believe that darker eyes may have been favoured by humans — consciously or unconsciously, during the domestication of canines from wolves to dogs. "We speculate that a darker iris makes it more difficult to distinguish the size of the pupil and thus gives the illusion of a large pupil, which is associated with our perception of being more infant-like," adds Konno, from Teikyo University of Science. A comparison of the iris colour of 22 images of grey wolves from different locations, with 81 images of domestic dogs, revealed that the domesticated canines had darker, reddish eyes. Light colour or dark, which is cuter? To give weight to their theory, the researchers conducted an experiment, where they created 12 pairs of images. Each pair showed a domestic dog with light eyes, and the same dog with dark eyes. A selection of these pictures was shown to two groups of 76 and 66 people. The humans were asked to rate the dogs for various personality traits. They were also asked to rate how much they would like to interact with a dog or keep it. Also read | 'It's beginning to look a lot like cosmos': NASA releases breathtaking image of a cosmic Christmas tree Results showed that dogs with darker eyes earned higher ratings. A higher number of people deemed them more easy-going, sociable and dependent, and less aggressive, intelligent and mature than their light-eyed counterparts. "Overall, dogs with dark eyes may have evolved the trait largely as means to send non-threatening gaze signal to humans," said the researchers. They found that eye colour was not directly related to the participant's desire to interact with or keep a dog. However, they speculate that the association of dark eyes with immaturity could be an influencing factor behind a human's desire to protect and care for a dog. (With inputs from agencies)

Humans can't resist puppy eyes, so much so that we have impacted their eye colour

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Our sense of smell may not be as good as dogs', but we are better than earlier thought, says study

UK police are in search of two American bulldogs after a man was found dead at his home in Birmingham

Dogs glam! Canine couture takes over the runway at New York Fashion Week

Dogs wag their tail to convey a lot more than just happiness, study finds

Humans can't resist puppy eyes, so much so that we have impacted their eye colour