even dead fish show emotion once in a while
A group of scientists at the University of Santa Barbara conducted an experiment where they put a dead 3.8 pound salmon in an fMRI machine, showed it pictures of people in social situations “with a specified emotional valence” and asked the fish what emotion the person in the photo was experiencing.
The result? The dead fish’s brain lit up.
The lesson? Remember to correct for chance. I love the understated tone of the discussion on their poster.
Via Language Log.