CORVID CLEANING
A startup in Södertälje, Sweden, has developed a machine that trains crows to collect discarded cigarette butts from local streets. When crows deposit the fag ends in the machine it rewards them with food. “They are wild birds taking part on a voluntary basis,” said Christian Günther-Hanssen, the founder of Corvid Cleaning, who believes his method could reduce the cost of picking up cigarette butts in the city by 75 per cent. theguardian.com, 1 Feb 2022.
FISH ON WHEELS
There is an old joke that goes:, to navigate it on land. They have mounted a fish tank on wheels and allowed it to be steered by the orientation and movements of the fish. They were then given a pink target in a room and were rewarded with food every time the vehicle touched it. When trained, fish managed to navigate the vehicle to the target from different starting positions in the room – even successfully navigating obstacles like false targets or after hitting a wall. Some did particularly well. “Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley… were total rock stars,” Givon says. While many studies have shown that fish can navigate in aquatic situations, the researchers say that this shows that the ability to navigate – essential to animal survival wherever they live – is universal to all species and does not depend on their environment.
