PEARL LAB: Perception, Ecologcical Action, Robotics, and Learning Psychology research laboratory at Weekly meetings on Wednesdays!
PEARL LAB: Perception, Ecologcical Action, Robotics, and Learning Psychology research laboratory at its finest.
11/18/2025
Bonjour bonobo!
‘Uniquely human’ language capacity found in bonobos In a first, researchers have seen a nonhuman animal combine different calls to make new meanings
07/15/2025
Bee gee whiz!
Scientists at the Beijing Institute of Technology have developed the world’s lightest brain chip designed for insects, weighing only 74 milligrams—lighter than the nectar loads bees typically carry. This groundbreaking device enables direct mind control of honeybees by sending electrical signals into their brains through three microscopic needles. Once attached to a bee’s back, the chip allows researchers to command the insect’s flight path with remarkable precision—achieving directional control accuracy rates of up to 90 percent during testing.
Inspired in part by the parasitic fungus cordyceps—which hijacks insect behavior in the wild—this new chip functions like a synthetic version of nature’s own neurological override. The technology mimics the fungus’s eerie control but replaces biology with ultra-thin printed circuits, flexible enough to move with the insect’s body and light enough to avoid impeding flight.
The researchers, led by Professor Zhao Jieliang, believe their “cyborg bees” could have a wide range of real-world applications, from military reconnaissance missions in hostile terrain to post-disaster search-and-rescue operations in areas too dangerous or inaccessible for human crews or machines. Previous cyborg insect experiments used heavier chips that quickly exhausted the animals. But the Beijing team’s ultra-light design could allow longer missions with less fatigue.
There are still challenges ahead: bees currently require wired power to function, and roaches controlled with similar chips were only able to handle a limited number of commands before tiring. Battery weight remains a key obstacle. Still, the breakthrough represents a major step in the field of insect-machine hybrid robotics. If refined further, fleets of mind-controlled insects could soon serve as intelligent, biologically integrated tools in both civilian and defense operations.
04/20/2025
Interesting new color commentary!
'Olo' is a brand-new color only ever seen by 5 people Using an experimental technique called "Oz," researchers stimulated the human retina such that people saw a brand-new color.
12/12/2023
In honor of Matt Langley’s new upside-down stimulus study, here’s the latest in bat dance moves!
Someone filmed bats upside down and it feels like a goth nightclub
08/14/2023
A double congratulations to Matt Langley!
First for passing his comps/orals last Friday, and second for an ASU news article on the same day highlighting his (and honors student Kaitlin Van Houghton's) recent publication on Vertical Attention Bias being similar in kids as it is in adults. Both groups exhibit an attentional bias for the tops of objects and bottoms of scenes.
New study reveals how children perceive their environment compared with adults Led by the Department of Psychology, a recently published study sheds light on how children see their surroundings compared with adults. The research explores the developmental timeline of vertical attention bias in ages 4 through 7 and uncovers similarities and slight differences between children a...
02/27/2023
In case you’re looking for some new dance moves, …!
10/23/2022
This the graphic of me that the resident artist at Athena Aktipis's ZAMM 2022 created, a literal example of Science, Art, Music, & Brain Activity! I did a podcast and gave a harmonica playing workshop on Friday.
10/21/2022
Christine and a committee of Graduate Students organized the second departmental Cross Area Talk (CAT) Symposium, this one on the topic of Emotion, and I gave one of the talks.