Scientists Create Tool to Interpret Pig Emotions
2022-03-14
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1Researchers say they have created a technology tool that uses pig sounds to interpret different emotions the animal is feeling.
2The tool is based on thousands of recordings collected from more than 400 pigs throughout their lives.
3The scientists developed an algorithm that seeks to identify a series of emotions the animals could be experiencing.
4The research may lead to creation of an app that farmers could use to learn the emotional state of animals in an effort to improve their productivity and well-being.
5An international team cooperated in the experiments that led to creation of the algorithm.
6The team was led by researchers from the University of Copenhagen, ETH Zurich in Switzerland and France's National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment.
7The results recently appeared in a study in the publication Scientific Reports.
8Pigs are known for having highly developed vocal skills.
9The researchers state in the study that pigs make different noises based on what they are experiencing at the time they make the sounds.
10And these sounds can be linked to different emotions.
11Emotions are generally caused "by the evaluation that an individual makes of its environmental situation," the study states.
12The study centered on more than 7,000 audio recordings of pigs in different situations, from the time they were born until they died.
13The recordings were collected in both natural and experimental settings.
14The team organized the sounds to link them with different situations and activities the pigs were involved in.
15The behavior of the pigs was observed in both positive and negative situations.
16Positive situations included when pigs were being fed by the mother or were reunited with family members after being separated.
17Negative situations included separations, fights between pigs, castration or being prepared for slaughter.
18The researchers also studied the pigs in controlled environments.
19During these experiments, some of the pigs were given different foods and objects, while others were not.
20Behaviors of the animals were followed and pig sounds were recorded, along with notes on their physical reactions.
21The team examined the recorded material and attempted to identify similarities in the sounds linked to different situations and emotions.
22The goal was to differentiate positive situations and emotions from negative ones.
23The researchers said higher-pitched sounds were usually measured in negative situations, while lower-pitched calls were linked to both positive or negative emotions.
24"With this study, we demonstrate that animal sounds provide great insight into their emotions," Associate Professor Elodie Briefer said in a statement.
25Briefer, with the University of Copenhagen's Department of Biology, was a lead writer of the study.
26"There are clear differences in pig calls when we look at positive or negative situations," Briefer added.
27She noted that in positive situations, the sounds were far shorter, with few changes in strength levels.
28On the other hand, lower-pitched "grunt" sounds usually began high, but then dropped lower.
29By training the algorithm to recognize the sounds in different situations, the team said it was able to identify the correct emotion 92 percent of the time.
30Briefer said that with additional data and training, the algorithm can be a valuable tool for helping to improve the emotional health of pigs and other farm animals in the future.
31"Now, we need someone who wants to develop the algorithm into an app that farmers can use to improve the welfare of their animals," Briefer said.
32I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Researchers say they have created a technology tool that uses pig sounds to interpret different emotions the animal is feeling. 2The tool is based on thousands of recordings collected from more than 400 pigs throughout their lives. The scientists developed an algorithm that seeks to identify a series of emotions the animals could be experiencing. 3The research may lead to creation of an app that farmers could use to learn the emotional state of animals in an effort to improve their productivity and well-being. 4An international team cooperated in the experiments that led to creation of the algorithm. The team was led by researchers from the University of Copenhagen, ETH Zurich in Switzerland and France's National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment. 5The results recently appeared in a study in the publication Scientific Reports. 6Pigs are known for having highly developed vocal skills. The researchers state in the study that pigs make different noises based on what they are experiencing at the time they make the sounds. And these sounds can be linked to different emotions. Emotions are generally caused "by the evaluation that an individual makes of its environmental situation," the study states. 7The study centered on more than 7,000 audio recordings of pigs in different situations, from the time they were born until they died. The recordings were collected in both natural and experimental settings. 8The team organized the sounds to link them with different situations and activities the pigs were involved in. The behavior of the pigs was observed in both positive and negative situations. 9Positive situations included when pigs were being fed by the mother or were reunited with family members after being separated. Negative situations included separations, fights between pigs, castration or being prepared for slaughter. 10The researchers also studied the pigs in controlled environments. During these experiments, some of the pigs were given different foods and objects, while others were not. Behaviors of the animals were followed and pig sounds were recorded, along with notes on their physical reactions. 11The team examined the recorded material and attempted to identify similarities in the sounds linked to different situations and emotions. The goal was to differentiate positive situations and emotions from negative ones. 12The researchers said higher-pitched sounds were usually measured in negative situations, while lower-pitched calls were linked to both positive or negative emotions. 13"With this study, we demonstrate that animal sounds provide great insight into their emotions," Associate Professor Elodie Briefer said in a statement. Briefer, with the University of Copenhagen's Department of Biology, was a lead writer of the study. 14"There are clear differences in pig calls when we look at positive or negative situations," Briefer added. She noted that in positive situations, the sounds were far shorter, with few changes in strength levels. On the other hand, lower-pitched "grunt" sounds usually began high, but then dropped lower. 15By training the algorithm to recognize the sounds in different situations, the team said it was able to identify the correct emotion 92 percent of the time. 16Briefer said that with additional data and training, the algorithm can be a valuable tool for helping to improve the emotional health of pigs and other farm animals in the future. 17"Now, we need someone who wants to develop the algorithm into an app that farmers can use to improve the welfare of their animals," Briefer said. 18I'm Bryan Lynn. 19Bryan Lynn wrote this story, based on reports from the University of Copenhagen and Scientific Reports. 20We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 21________________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23interpret - v. explain or decide what a particular phrase, action, etc. means 24algorithm - n. a set of steps that are followed in order to solve a mathematical problem or to complete a computer process 25app - n. a computer program that performs a special function, usually found on mobile phones 26evaluation - n. a careful study of something to decide how good or bad it is 27positive - adj. a good or happy situation 28negative - adj. a bad or sad situation 29castration - n. the removal of sex organs 30slaughter - n. the killing of an animal for food 31pitch - n. a level of a particular sound 32insight - n. the ability to understand what something is really like