HORSES RECOGNIZE OUR EMOTIONS

Dogs are known to link human facial expressions and voices to perceive our emotions, but whether horses can do the same is unknown.

Now, for the rst time, a group of scientists from Hokkaido University have shown that horses integrate human facial expressions and tones of voice to perceive human emotions, regardless of whether it is a familiar person or not.

It had previously been shown that this animal has high communication skills, and can read the emotions of its conspeci cs through facial expressions and contact calls or neighs. Horses have long been used as a working animal and also as a companion animal in sports and leisure, establishing close relationships with humans just as dogs do with people.

The study, published in Scienti c Reports , has analysed whether horses perceive human emotion by integrating facial expression and tone of voice, through photographs and recordings. They also tested whether the familiarity between the horse and the person a ected the perception of the horse.

The results of the experiment showed that the horses responded 1.6 to 2 times faster if the expression in the image and the tone of voice in the recording were compatible. This would suggest that horses integrate human facial expressions and tones of voice to perceive human emotions.

"Our study - explains Ayaka Takimoto , lead author of the study, in the statement – ‘’could contribute to the understanding of how humans and companion animals send and receive emotional signals to deepen our relationships, which would help to establish a better relationship, that emphasizes animal welfare’’.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: GOLLUM

is an upcoming action-adventure video game developed by Daedalic Entertainment and co-published by Daedalic Entertainment and Nacon. It is based on the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, following the character of Gollum between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

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Daedalic Entertainment GmbH, Daedalic Entertainment

Daedalic Entertainment GmbH

PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox X/S, Microsoft Windows

May 2023

Single-player

UNCOVER THE TRUTH, TAKE BACK REDFALL

The island town of Redfall, Massachusetts, is under siege by a legion of vampires who have blocked out the sun and cut the citizens o from the outside world. Explore the open world and immerse yourself in a deep story campaign as you unravel the mystery behind the vampires’ appearance. Ally with a handful of survivors against the creatures threatening to bleed the town dry.

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Arkane Studios

Bethesda Softworks

PC, Xbox X/S,

May 2, 2023

Online Co-Op Multiplayer