The face is familiar: Roosters can recognize their own reflections in mirrors, study finds

November 14, 2023

With their colorful plumage and prominent combs, roosters might be forgiven for sneaking the odd glance in the mirror—particularly as research now suggests the birds may be able to recognize their own reflections, reports The Guardian.

The ability to recognize oneself in the mirror has so far only been found in a handful of animals, including elephants, dolphins, great apes, and certain fish and birds.

Sonja Hillemacher, one of the authors of the study conducted at the University of Bonn, said animals that can recognize themselves in a mirror often seemed to have more advanced cognitive abilities, and that there was a link to social and emotional intelligence, as well as self-awareness.

“This ability is a fundamental aspect of consciousness. It is also fundamental for us,” she says. “Our results suggest a level of consciousness [in chickens] that prompts discussions about animal rights and welfare.”

Writing in the journal Plos One, Hillemacher and colleagues note that roosters tend to call out to their peers should they see an aerial threat, such as a bird of prey. If a rooster is alone, however, it does not usually raise the alarm as it could draw the predator’s attention.

In their first set of experiments, the team placed a rooster in one of two sections of an indoor space. In the other section they placed either a mirror, another rooster, or left it empty. The team then projected the silhouette of a flying hawk on to the ceiling of the section containing the first rooster.

The results from 58 roosters revealed the birds made far more alarm calls when another rooster was visible to them, with 1.33 alarm calls per bird on average over three tests, than when alone (0.29 calls on average) or faced with the mirror (0.43 calls on average). The team found a similar reduction in calls when they placed a second rooster out of sight behind the mirror.

The team say the findings suggest the birds did not regard their reflection as another rooster, even when accompanied by the smell and sound of a second bird. While that may suggest roosters can recognize themselves in a mirror, the team say there is another possibility.

“It’s equally feasible that they regarded their reflection as an odd [member of their species] mimicking their every move, leading them not to emit an alarm call out of irritation,” said Hillemacher.

The researchers also used a traditional “mark test” to probe mirror self-recognition. In those experiments, 18 roosters had either pink or transparent powder dabbed just below their beak, on their chest—a place they cannot usually see. The birds’ reactions were then recorded in the presence and absence of a mirror to explore if they saw and understood the mark was on their body—a revelation typically gauged by an animal’s tendency to investigate the patch.

The results revealed that while the birds touched and groomed themselves, their behavior did not differ when a mirror was present, or if the mark was pink or transparent.

The team say that their results suggest mirror tests should be modified to take into account the natural context of the animal being studied.

They also note that—with chickens possibly one of the least expected candidates for recognizing their own reflections—the results have important implications

“If roosters can differentiate between their own reflection and the sight of a conspecific, it is likely that this cognitive ability is much more widespread than previously assumed,” the team write.

Research contact: @guardian

Sepember 12, 2024

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in back in September 2016 that one in four Medicare participants age 65 or older—that’s 5 million people—do not take their blood pressure medicine as directed. In fact, 20% to 30% of prescriptions for chronic health conditions are never filled, and about half are not taken as prescribed, reports the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

Patients’ failure to follow their medical treatment regimens is a common and costly problem with potentially dire consequences. A 2012 study by the American College of Preventive Medicine found that nonadherence accounted for an estimated 125,000 deaths annually and at least 10% of hospitalizations. The repercussions also cost the U.S. health system as much as $300 billion a year, according to a 2014 study by Johns Hopkins University researchers.

Depending on the patient, provider, and situation, contributing factors may include the patient’s social and economic status or education level, the complexity of the treatment and instructions, health system variables, poor provider communication, patient depression or stress, or physical or financial obstacles to drug access.

Patients may also stop taking a medication if they experience unpleasant side effects, are not seeing any immediate benefit from the therapy, or if they simply grow tired of taking pills.

medicine we have a blind spot,” said Victor Montori, M.D., an endocrinologist and professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic. “Being a patient—especially being a patient with a chronic condition—is a lot of work.” And there’s no curriculum about the work of being a patient, he noted.

Adherence rates haven’t changed significantly in the past three decades, despite efforts by the World Health Organization and the Institute of Medicine to address the problem, according to the American College of Preventive Medicine.

In addition to poorer patient outcomes, hospitals now also suffer the costs of readmission penalties for Medicare patients who return to the hospital because they haven’t followed a doctor’s instructions.

There’s no one-size-fits-all remedy for this problem: physicians and health systems can support adherence in a combination of ways.

At Mayo’s Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit, Montori focuses on “minimally disruptive medicine” that is designed not to overburden patients. He said clinicians often are unaware of the cumulative effects of what they ask patients to do. Montori noted, for example, that patients may have to go through several bureaucratic steps and pharmacy trips to refill each maintenance prescription.

Montori suggests that healthcare systems focus treatment on the goals patients and clinicians agree to achieve, “and then make sure in the process that we don’t overwhelm [the patients].” In some cases, it’s virtually impossible for patients to do all that their providers ask, Montori says. “Are the treatments, tests, appointments, that we’re asking people to go through, are they really necessary?” he asked. “If we medicalize every moment of their lives, patients will struggle.”

In addition to being more judicious about how many appointments are necessary, the healthcare team can make it easier for patients by trying to bundle appointments or procedures on the same day, he suggests. Or clinicians can help mobilize social resources for patients who need help with housing, food, or addictions—factors that can affect their ability to maintain a treatment regimen, Montori said.

Prescribing more affordable generic drugs, simplifying dosages, synchronizing refills, and finding ways to reduce pharmacy trips may reduce the burden on patients as well, Montori adds. Or, if the patient has stopped taking a medication because of unpleasant side effects, the physician can work with the pharmacist to find an alternative.

At NYU School of Medicine, Adina Kalet, MD, MPH, professor of medicine and surgery and codirector of the Program on Medical Education Innovation and Research, is exploring the use of a Patient Empowerment Program to help patients become more active partners in their care. In a current study, she and colleagues are training patients with diabetes to better communicate with physicians during two two-hour sessions.

So far, said Kalet, “it does what we are hoping it [would do]…. It changes the dynamic in the doctor’s office. We’ve had nothing but positive responses from physicians about how much more satisfying it is to be able to engage as partners with patients.”

For Steven Feldman, MD, PhD, professor of Dermatology, Pathology, and Public Health Sciences at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, close follow-up and establishing trust with patients are the keys to patient adherence. Prescribing a drug and then following up in 8 weeks to 12 weeks is not enough to ensure compliance, he says.

“Doctors are the only people on the planet who have the idea that you can tell people, ‘Here, work on this every day and I’ll see you in two or three months.’”

Feldman has found that being a caring provider leads to better patient accountability. When prescribing a new treatment, for example, he writes his mobile phone number on a business card and tells his patient to call in three days to report on progress. “That adds to their trust in me, which adds to their trust in the medicine,” Feldman says.

Wake Forest has spun off a company based on Feldman’s adherence-improvement methods, asking patients to report their treatment status through online surveys. Using that approach, acne patients doubled their adherence to treatments.

Providers may do well to remember that the intangible can be invaluable. “It is the relationship between the doctor and patient that drives the compliance,” says Helen Shields, MD, associate chief of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Division of Medical Communications.

“I believe strongly that patients are more compliant if they trust you, believe you, and if they can understand what you’re saying.”

Research contact: @AAMCtoday