Is the toaster winking at you? Or the sink giving a cheeky grin?
It turns out you might not be seeing things. New research suggests our brains are hard wired to look for human faces in inanimate objects.
This ability to detect features such as eyes in windows and noses in doors even has a medical name – pareidolia – with one of the earliest and best-known examples being the Man in the Moon.
Once considered a potential symptom of a psychiatric disorder, it is now considered to be simply an error of perception.
Rapid facial recognition has always been vital to our survival
Prof David Alais,
University of Sydney
According to researchers at the University of Sydney, this is the result of the evolution of the parts of our brain that specialise in detecting and processing faces.
“Faces are detected incredibly fast,” said lead researcher Prof David Alais.
Our brains, he said, use “a kind of template-matching procedure, so if it sees an object that appears to have two eyes above a nose above a mouth, then it goes, ‘Oh I’m seeing a face.’”
Rapid facial recognition has always been vital to our survival, Prof Alais said. “You need to recognise who it is – is it family, is it a friend or foe, what are their intentions and emotions?”
That means accuracy is sometimes sacrificed for speed. “It’s a bit fast and loose and sometimes it makes mistakes, so something that resembles a face will often trigger this template match.”
At one end of the scale is seeing animals and objects formed by the shapes of clouds.
At the other is the "Hitler House" in Swansea, Wales, whose slanted roof over one window and moustache-like lintel over the front door led to comparisons with the face of the Nazi leader.
The phenomenon is also attributed to the famous “face on Mars” in a rock formation on the Red Planet and even a grilled cheese sandwich that fetched Dh46,700 ($28,000) in an online auction in 2004 because it was claimed to resemble a portrait of the Virgin Mary.
To test their theory, the Australian researchers showed subjects a sequence of real and pareidolia faces.
They were also asked to judge each image on a scale between happy and angry, finding that the expressions on inanimate objects produced the same reaction as did real faces.
The reason is that it is the same part of the brain processing all the images, Prof Alais said.
“You are somehow unable to totally turn off that face response and emotion response and see it as an object. It remains simultaneously an object and a face.”
The research has a practical side for the development of artificial intelligence and the treatment of disorders suchas prosopagnosia, or facial blindness, whose sufferers cannot even recognise family or friends.
As long as you do not tell that to the plate of two fried eggs and a sausage before you devour them for breakfast.
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Read more about the coronavirus
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
The UAE's journey to space
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
