- Sheep can recognise emotions in facial expression, not
only in their species but also in humans, researchers say.
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- Researchers at Cambridge University have discovered sheep
prefer smiling or relaxed human faces, over angry or stressed ones.
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- Neuroscientist Dr Keith Kendrick and his team believe
the findings may offer insights into some human conditions.
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- Three years ago, the team found sheep could recognise
50 individual sheep faces and remember them for two years.
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- "Sheep are able to recognise faces that differ by
less than 5% so we thought perhaps they could recognise emotions which
are much more subtle," Dr Kendrick said.
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- "It turns out they can, both human, smiling versus
angry; and sheep, stressed versus calm."
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- Scientists presented the sheep with two doors they could
push open to gain food. On one would be a picture of a smiling human or
a happy sheep, on the other an angry human or a stressed out sheep.
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- "They vastly preferred to press the smiling human
or the animal that has just had a meal and is feeling all right with life,"
said Dr Kendrick.
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- Psychiatric conditions
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- Dr Kendrick and his researchers at the university's Babraham
Institute believe their finding may offer valuable insights into autism,
schizophrenia and a rare disorder called prosopagnosis which leaves the
sufferer unable to recognise faces.
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- But the research also has wide reaching implications
for animal welfare.
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- Dr Kendrick said: "This does open up the possibility
that they have much richer emotional lives than we would give them credit
for.
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- "If sheep, which in terms of domestic animals tend
to be right down the bottom of the league table for intelligence, can do
this then the likelihood is that other species can too."
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- © BBC MMIV http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cambridgeshire/3796017.stm
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