The art of smell: Research suggests the brain processes smell both like a painting and a symphony

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What happens when we smell a rose? How does our brain process the essence of its fragrance? Is it like a painting — a snapshot of the flickering activity of cells — captured in a moment in time? Or like a symphony, an evolving ensemble of different cells working together to capture the scent? New research suggests that our brain does both.

“These findings reveal a core principle of the nervous system, flexibility in the kinds of calculations the brain makes to represent aspects of the sensory world,” said Krishnan Padmanabhan, Ph.D., an associate professor of Neuroscience and senior author of the study recently published in Cell Reports. “Our work provides scientists with new tools to quantify and interpret the patterns of activity of the brain.”

Researchers developed a model to simulate the workings of the early olfactory system — the network the brain relies on for smelling. Employing computer simulations, they found a specific set of connections, called centrifugal fibers, which carry impulses from other parts of the central nervous system to the early sensory regions of the brain, played a critical role. These centrifugal fibers act as a switch, toggling between different strategies to efficiently represent smells. When the centrifugal fibers were in one state, the cells in the piriform cortex — where the perception of an odor forms — relied on the pattern of activity within a given instant in time. When the centrifugal fibers were in the other state, the cells in the piriform cortex improved both the accuracy and the speed with which cells detected and classified the smell by relying on the patterns of brain activity across time.

These processes suggest the brain has multiple responses to representing a smell. In one strategy, the brain uses a snapshot, like a painting or a photograph, at a given moment to capture the essential features of the odor. In the other strategy, the brain keeps track of the evolving patterns. It is attuned to which cells turn on and off and when — like a symphony.

The mathematical models the researchers developed highlight the critical feature of the nervous system — not only diversity in terms of the components that make up the brain but also how these components work together to help the brain experience the world of smell. “These mathematical models reveal critical aspects of how the olfactory system in the brain might work and could help build brain-inspired artificial computing systems,” Padmanabhan said. “Computational approaches inspired by the circuits of the brain such as this have the potential to improve the safety of self-driving cars, or help computer vision algorithms more accurately identify and classify objects in an image.”

Additional authors include Zhen Chen of the University of Rochester. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Cystinosis Research Foundation, and the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester Pilot Program.

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Materials provided by University of Rochester Medical Center. Original written by Kelsie Smith Hayduk. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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‘Cultural Vandalism’: Government Condemned As Channel 4 To Be Privatised

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The government’s decision to press ahead with plans to privatise Channel 4 has been condemned as “very unconservative” by a senior Tory MP.

The channel was launched in 1982 as a publicly-owned, commercially-funded public service broadcaster with a remit to deliver content to under-served audiences.

It does not receive public funding but is ultimately owned by the government, with all money going back into the broadcaster, which commissions all of its programmes from independent producers.

On Monday, a statement by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport said the sell-off would allow the channel to “thrive in the face of a rapidly-changing media landscape” while a government source said the move would “remove Channel 4’s straitjacket”.

A spokesperson for Channel 4 said it was “disappointed” with the decision, but would “continue to engage” with ministers on the process to “ensure that Channel 4 continues to play its unique part in Britain’s creative ecology and national life”.

The move represents Boris Johnson’s government’s latest broadcasting shake-up after signalling it wants to find a new funding model for the BBC after the licence fee funding deal expires in 2027. Ministers have previously indicated Channel 4 could be sold off by the end of the current parliament in 2024.

The announcement faced an immediate backlash, with Labour calling it a “shameful decision” and even Conservative MPs joining the criticism.

Damian Green, Tory MP and a former Cabinet minister, said: “The sale of Channel 4 is politicians and civil servants thinking they know more about how to run a business than the people who run it. Very unconservative. Mrs Thatcher, who created it, never made that mistake.”

Conservative MP Sir Peter Bottomley said he opposes the privatisation as he feels it is “bad for the diversity of television, bad for viewers and bad for independent producers”.

Labour’s shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell described the move as “cultural vandalism”.

She said: “Selling off Channel 4, which doesn’t cost the tax-payer a penny anyway, to what is likely to be a foreign company, is cultural vandalism. It will cost jobs and opportunities in the North and Yorkshire, and hit the wider British creative economy.

“This shows that the Conservatives have run out of ideas and run out of road. Of all the issues the public wants action on, the governance of Channel 4 isn’t one.”

No price tag has been set by the government yet, but reports suggest the channel could be sold for as much as £1 billion in a process that could take several months, with the proposals needing to pass through both the House of Commons and Lords.

The government has been consulting on plans to privatise the broadcaster following concerns for its survival in the streaming era.

Culture secretary Nadine Dorries said in a tweet that she wanted the broadcaster to remain a “cherished place in British life”, but felt that government ownership was “holding Channel 4 back from competing against streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon”.

She added: “I will seek to reinvest the proceeds of the sale into levelling up the creative sector, putting money into independent production and creative skills in priority parts of the country – delivering a creative dividend for all.”

Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon has previously questioned the “logic” behind such a move and whether privatising the broadcaster would help with efforts to “level up” outside of London.

In an internal email to staff on Monday, Mahon said her priority was to “look after all of you and the wonderful Channel 4 spirit” following the announcement.

A spokesperson for Channel 4 said: “With over 60,000 submissions to the government’s public consultation, it is disappointing that today’s announcement has been made without formally recognising the significant public interest concerns which have been raised.

“Channel 4 has engaged in good faith with the government throughout the consultation process, demonstrating how it can continue to commission much-loved programmes from the independent sector across the UK that represent and celebrate every aspect of British life as well as increase its contribution to society, while maintaining ownership by the public.

“Recently, Channel 4 presented DCMS (the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport) a real alternative to privatisation that would safeguard its future financial stability, allowing it to do significantly more for the British public, the creative industries and the economy, particularly outside London.

“This is particularly important given that the organisation is only two years into a significant commitment to drive up its impact in the UK’s nations and regions.”

The statement continued: “Channel 4 remains legally committed to its unique public service remit. The focus for the organisation will be on how we can ensure we deliver the remit to both our viewers and the British creative economy across the whole of the UK.

“The proposal to privatise Channel 4 will require a lengthy legislative process and political debate. We will of course continue to engage with DCMS, government and parliament, and do everything we can to ensure that Channel 4 continues to play its unique part in Britain’s creative ecology and national life.”

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Rishi Sunak Faces Backlash For Dabbling In Fashionable NFTs During Cost Of Living Crisis

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Chancellor Rishi Sunak has faced criticism for joining the controversial NFT trend as the UK faces the biggest cost of living crisis in generations.

On Monday, the Treasury announced the Royal Mint had been asked to create an NFT – a non-fungible token – by the summer as part of a drive to make the UK a “global crypto asset hub”.

An NFT is a digital asset that exists on a blockchain – a record of transactions kept on networked computers that serves as a public record allowing anyone to verify its authenticity and who owns it.

While most digital items can be endlessly reproduced, each NFT has a unique digital signature – meaning it is one of a kind.

Anyone can view the NFT, but only the buyer has the status of being the official owner – a kind of digital bragging rights.

EXPLAINED: WHAT IS AN NFT?

The “Bored Ape” collection of digital images is perhaps the most well-known, having been bought and traded by celebrities for tens of thousands of dollars.

Critics point to the lack of regulation of the NFT market, where many participants use pseudonyms and fraud and scams are a big risk.

The move into state-backed NFTs comes as Sunak is facing criticism for not doing enough to help British households who are facing the biggest fall in living standards since the 1950s, and spiralling energy bills that mean many people are having to choose between heating and eating.

Sunak’s reputation – a Tory leadership favourite when handing out furlough cash, now flagging amid questions about, among other things, his wife’s business links to Russia – has also been tarnished by reports he is set to spend the easter parliamentary recess in California.

Unsurprisingly, the reaction on social media was not especially positive.

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Covid: Nine new symptoms added to official list

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Sore throats, headaches and loss of appetite are now all officially recognised as signs of infection.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Delivers Impassioned Speech During Grammys Ceremony

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Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy made an appearance during the Grammys ceremony on Sunday night, urging those in attendance to “support us in any way you can”, other than “silence”.

Zelenskyy delivered an impassioned speech in a pre-recorded video message, which preceded a performance from singer John Legend.

“One thing that has always made music so powerful is the way it responds to the times,” host Trevor Noah said.

“Even in the darkest times, music has the power to lift spirits and give you hope for a brighter tomorrow. And there’s nobody who could use a little help right now more than the people of Ukraine.”

In a message from Kyiv, reported to have been filmed within 48 hours of the Grammys, Zelenskyy was heard saying: “The war. What is more opposite to music? The silence of ruined cities and killed people.

“Our children draw swooping rockets, not shooting stars. Over 400 children have been injured and 153 children died. And we’ll never see them drawing.

“Our parents are happy to wake up in the morning, in bomb shelters, but alive. Our loved ones don’t know if we will be together again. The war doesn’t let us choose who survives and who stays in eternal silence.”

Zelenskyy continued: “Our musicians wear body armour instead of tuxedos. They sing to the wounded. In hospitals.

“Even to those who can’t hear them. But the music will break through anyway. We defend our freedom. To live. To love. To sound. On our land, we are fighting Russia which brings horrible silence with its bombs. The dead silence. Fill the silence with your music! Fill it today. To tell our story.

“Tell the truth about this war on your social networks, on TV. Support us in any way you can. Any – but not silence. And then peace will come.”

He concluded: “To all our cities the war is destroying, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Volnovakha, Mariupol and others. They are legends already. But I have a dream of them living. And free. Free like you on the Grammy stage.”

John Legend performing with Ukrainian singer Mika Newton
John Legend performing with Ukrainian singer Mika Newton

VALERIE MACON via Getty Images

Following his speech, John Legend debuted his new song Free.

​​The performance included vocals from Ukrainian musicians Siuzanna Iglidan and Mika Newton, as well as poet Lyuba Yakimchuk, while images from the war were shown on video screens behind them.

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Gynaecology waits soar by 60% during pandemic

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Waiting lists for gynaecological conditions have risen more sharply than any other specialty.

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Jim Carrey Says He’s Probably Retiring From Acting: ‘I’ve Done Enough’

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Actor and comedian Jim Carrey recently hinted that he plans to step away soon from his Hollywood career.

In an “Access Hollywood” interview that aired Thursday, Carrey said he’s strongly considering retirement. “Well, I’m retiring,” he told host Kit Hoover. “Yeah, probably. I’m being fairly serious. It depends, it depends. If the angels bring some sort of script that’s written in gold ink that says to me that it’s going to be really important for people to see, I might continue down the road. But I’m taking a break.”

Carrey has earned praise ― and, at times, stirred controversy ― as a visual artist in recent years. He said he’d like to focus more extensively on his work in that realm moving forward, but didn’t give an exact idea of when that might happen.

“I really like my quiet life,” he said. “I really love putting paint on canvas, and I really love my spiritual life. And I feel like ― and this is something you might never hear another celebrity say as long as time exists ― I have enough. I’ve done enough. I am enough.”

Watch Jim Carrey’s “Access Hollywood” appearance below.

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HuffPost reached out to a representative for Carrey for clarification on his remarks, but did not immediately hear back.

Carrey made his screen debut in the 1981 Canadian comedy “Rubberface,” but his big Hollywood break came 13 years later in “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.”

He later garnered critical acclaim for more dramatic fare like 1998’s “The Truman Show” and 2004’s “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” the latter of which co-starred Kate Winslet.

Elsewhere in his “Access Hollywood” interview, Carrey suggested he could be coaxed back to the screen by none other than Dolly Parton, who has said she’d like him to portray her musical partner, Porter Wagoner, in a forthcoming biopic about her life.

“I would always speak to Dolly,” he told Hoover. “Dolly’s just, to me, an otherworldly talent that is just bigger than you can imagine.”

For now, Carrey fans can get their fill of the actor as Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik in “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” which opens in theaters next week.

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