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New international study co-authored by University of Galway researchers shows that how animals live and move determines how quickly they see the world Animals do not just see the world differently from one another, they experience time itself at dramatically different speeds, researchers have revealed. The major new study shows that the speed at which an animal lives and moves strongly predicts how quickly it can visually process the world around it. The team of scientists - a collaboration between the University of Galway and Trinity College Dublin - analysed visual perception across 237 species in the animal kingdom, from insects and birds to mammals and marine life. The findings, published in the international journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, provide the strongest evidence to date that ecology and evolution shape how animals perceive time. The researchers found that that species with fast-paced ecologies - such as flying animals and “pursuit predators”, which chase fast, manoeuvrable prey - have much faster visual perception than slow-moving or sedentary species.             Dr Kevin Healy, co-author and Head of the Macroecology lab at the University of Galway’s School of Natural Sciences, said: “These results support a long-standing idea known as Autrum’s hypothesis, which in simple terms states that sensory systems evolve to match an animal’s way of life. What’s new is that we demonstrate this pattern across the entire animal kingdom, not just within small groups of species.”             Lead author Dr Clinton Haarlem, from Trinity’s School of Natural Sciences, said: “From a dragonfly tracking prey in mid-air to a starfish grazing slowly across the seabed, animals live in very different perceptual worlds. Our results show that these differences are not random. Instead, they are closely linked to how animals move, hunt, and interact with their environments.” Measuring the speed of sight To measure how quickly animals can process visual information, the researchers used a standard metric called “critical flicker fusion (CFF)”, which is the fastest rate at which a flickering light can be perceived as distinct rather than continuous. Higher CFF values indicate faster visual processing. While humans typically perceive flicker up to around 60 Hz, some insects and birds can detect changes at more than 200 flashes per second, effectively experiencing a slower-moving world. The team then tested how CFF relates to ecological traits such as locomotion, foraging strategy, body size, and light environment. Among the key results were: Flying species have the fastest visual perception, with CFF values roughly twice as high as non-flying animals. Pursuit predators have significantly higher temporal resolution than species feeding on stationary or slow-moving food Light environment matters: species active in bright conditions generally have faster vision than those living in darkness or deep water In aquatic environments, smaller, more manoeuvrable species tend to see faster than larger ones Dr Kevin Healy, said: “Species which live in low light environments and have slow lifestyles were found to have extremely slow visual systems. For example, the escolar, a deep sea fish, can see less than ten frames a second while deep sea isopods, a type of crustacean, can only see a couple of frames per second. For these species the world likely passes in a blur.” Why perception speed matters Fast visual processing allows animals to react to rapid changes, which is crucial for flight, hunting, and avoiding predators – but that comes at a cost. Rapid neural processing requires more energy, meaning high-speed vision is only favoured when it provides a clear ecological advantage. The findings also raise concerns about the impacts of artificial lighting and flicker in human-modified environments.             Dr Haarlem continued: “These findings suggest species with fast visual systems may be especially vulnerable to flickering artificial lights. This could affect their hunting success, navigation, and impact predator–prey interactions, particularly in birds and aquatic predators. Understanding how animals perceive time helps us understand how they behave, evolve, and respond to environmental change. It reminds us that the world we experience is just one version of many.” By linking ecology, evolution, and perception, the study ultimately highlights how animals inhabit fundamentally different sensory realities even when they share the same habitat. The full study in Nature Ecology & Evolution is available at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-026-02994-7 Ends  

University of Galway has announced a new partnership with Davy, Ireland’s leading provider of wealth management and investment banking services, to expand uptake in careers in finance for students from underrepresented groups. The initiative, part of Davy’s centenary celebrations, aims to support undergraduates through two new scholarships, one of which is dedicated to female students. The scholarships are designed to strengthen pathways into the financial sector at a time when demand for diverse talent continues to grow. Each year, they will be awarded to first-year students who are taking part in the University of Galway Student Managed Fund - a student‑led, global, diversified equity investment fund, established to offer students hands‑on experience in portfolio management and to enhance financial education through experiential learning. Professor Karena Yan, Dean of J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics, University of Galway, said: “Davy’s support has strengthened the University of Galway’s Student Managed Fund and accelerated its impact as a high‑quality learning platform. Innovation in the financial sector begins with a diverse and dynamic learning environment. Through these new scholarships, we are helping to remove financial barriers and broaden access to opportunities in finance. This partnership reflects the School’s commitment to openness and excellence, supporting students to plan for their future and gain a competitive edge in a growing industry.” The partnership was launched by Orla Graham, Chief People Officer at Davy, and University of Galway alumna who studied Business Studies at J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics, along with Eoin Cotter, Director and Head of Western Region, Davy. Orla Graham, Chief People Officer at Davy, said: “As we celebrate 100 years of serving our clients and communities, we are proud to partner with University of Galway to support the next generation of talented students as they begin their careers in financial services. At Davy, helping people plan for the future is a core part of our service – these scholarships will help shape the future of tomorrow’s leaders.” Davy’s support will create meaningful and immediate impact for recipients, equipping students with the confidence and support needed to pursue their academic goals. The scholarships are open to first-year undergraduates who are registered on a degree programme with a finance or economics component and who demonstrate strong academic potential. The successful students will be provided with €1,000, paid annually over the four years of their studies. The new partnership will support the two scholarships and the Student Managed Fund, providing both financial support as well as mentorship and guidance of the fund. The two new scholarships are: - Davy Centenary Scholarship to support students entering Year 1 of a Finance or Economics degree who are members of the Student Managed Fund. - Davy Scholarship for Females in Finance to support female students entering Year 1 of a Finance or Economics degree who are members of the Student Managed Fund, to increase participation and progression of women in finance‑related disciplines. Davy established its office in Galway in 2006 and continues to build its presence serving clients in Galway and the West. Eoin Cotter, Director and Head of Western Region, Davy, said: “This partnership represents an important milestone in our ongoing commitment to supporting education and opportunity in the West. We are proud to deepen our relationship with University of Galway as we look ahead to the next chapter.” Applicants can apply for the scholarships here: Davy Centenary Scholarship and here: Davy Females in Finance Scholarship. Learn more about eligibility and the selection process here. Ends

An international team of scientists have detailed a new technique to repair and restore function to injury-ravaged nerve tissue.  The research team at CÚRAM, the Taighde Éireann-Research Ireland Centre for Medical Devices based at University of Galway, along with colleagues from Queen Mary University of London and the Mayo Clinic in the US, have published findings of the study in the prestigious journal Cell Biomaterials.  The scientists set out to discover whether new methods to fix damaged nerve tissue could be identified, as the injury can cause irreversible loss of motor and sensory function, chronic pain and long-term disability for patients.  The team reviewed current approaches for repair of nerve tissue, including autografts which are made from a patient’s own nerve tissue; artificial nerve guides or scaffolds, which guide the growth of new nerve tissue; and gene therapy, which would essentially enable new growth.  The research led to the development a collagen-based, neural guidance conduit that embeds and releases specific proteins which promote the survival and development of neurons at the site of injury to promote nerve regeneration.  Dr Secil Demir, scientist with CÚRAM and lead author on the study, said: “Repairing nerve tissue presents a significant technical challenge. Our process was a case of putting together the pieces of a puzzle, based on data generated from years of previous research, to really understand how nerve tissue regenerates and what exactly what is missing at the injury site, that prevents its repair and regeneration. Then we considered all of the current treatment approaches to see if we could address some of the limitations to treating these injuries.”  The treatment system uses proteins which assist with neuronal survival, growth and blood vessel development.  Dr Demir said: “Collaboration with colleagues at the Mayo Clinic in reviewing data from previous studies led us to a combination of the geneserythropoietin (EPO) gene and nerve growth factor (NGF) a protein that promotes the survival and development of neurons. We were able to figure out the best ratio of EPO and NGF to accelerate nerve regeneration and improve functional recovery in larger nerve injuries.”  The model developed by the research team in the lab enables continuous, targeted release of protein within the repair zone, re-engaging key regenerative pathways, offering a clinically translatable strategy to improve peripheral nerve repair.  The research is the first time a non-viral, gene-functionalised collagen conduit, containing optimal ratios of these specific proteins has been used to achieve nerve and blood vessel activation in a large injury.  Professor Abhay Pandit, senior author and Scientific Director of CÚRAM, said: “Integration of this protein-delivery strategy into a clinically validated collagen conduit, addresses some of the core limitations of traditional neural guidance conduits, including limited translation beyond short-gap injuries. These findings align with the growing body of work on biomaterial systems that help regenerate complex tissue and we are excited to look at the next stage of this research.”  The full article is available at here.  Ends