how does the learning process really work many teachers have scratched their heads over that question. and scientists also know very little about what happens in the brain when we learn. one research has set up a number of experiments to find out but not with school kids. pigeons are reputed to be not very smart but might we be wrong about them let's take this average pigeon we call it right now we're going to do an experiment to find out if i can distinguish between photos with and without humans in them. we show i'd have pictures of dogs and pierre. emily and adrian. caro and guna. the pigeon passes easily this is standard movie works because it's identify. and humans as a category i have been trained and shown lots of pictures with and without people in them. the pigeon clearly didn't memorize the pictures but learned something abstract from them recognizing a human being and you can apply that to any picture. but. the team of neuroscientists observe the pigeons learning behavior in what's known as a skinner box the process of learning how to distinguish between pictures with and without humans appears to follow certain principles in order to investigate them the tests are carried out according to strict rules and you see it's always close to the food. the pigeon yellow patch if it successfully distinguishes between humans and say animals it gets cornfield as a reward if it gets it wrong the light is briefly switched off. for. this kind of experiment you need animals that don't get easily frustrated it can take a long time and to start with the animal doesn't know what you wanted to do the pigeons are very conscientious if you give them a task they'll stick with it even if it takes weeks it's fantastic. that is fantastic. pigeons actually the sole focus of. work. scientist is interested in our learning works in all animals and in humans since animal perception is similar to that of humans experiments with animals allow him to form conclusions about how the brain perceives and processes learning. the basic mechanisms are not just demonstrated by tests with photos couldn't even manage to teach is pigeons spelling to begin with. learn to distinguish between real english words and made up words then new words are introduced. if the word is a real one the pigeon picks on it if it's a made up word it picks on the star. in. the vice of this test proves is that there is a rule to spelling to me which letters go together in a particular language and this differs from german to enlist for instance but pigeons and humans learn the probabilities of letter sequences according to the same principle. whether it's elementary school children or pigeons they learn exactly the same rules at all exactly like you think. the difference is that pigeons don't understand what all those squiggles actually mean still there's something we can learn from pigeons here for you to show me the importance of hard work to assign even if you're not very smart and working hard can take you far. even hard working pigeons like i don't deserve a break once in a while and one thing's for sure no one will ever call her birdbrain again. nowadays more and more people are tending to a vegetarian or even feel good lifestyle but they may want a protein which alternative to meet. like tofu made from so you can. say time a few we pretty. much are they going fast and time pretty we put them to the test do you think the cut the mustard as a meat substitute. they look like sausages but there meatless not that the shoppers here know that. this couple samples them what are they made of. the answer comes as quite a surprise and not a nice one it's mold. on. the. malt it's supposed to taste good the sausages are indeed made of mold but they're anything that unhealthy. going to taste good and not a small group of the things i wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't told me this is the good demo very good taste like sausage was out but there's no accounting for taste but there are benefits to sausages made of fungus. they have almost zero fat and they don't boost l.d.l. cholesterol they contain no poisonous found guide they're made of fusarium than an optimum harmless strain high in protein it's found in a range of products in supermarkets the sausage is forty six percent fungus with added albumin and wheat flour as a binding agent plus extra for extra flavor. the juicy looking filets are eighty eight percent fungal or michael protein along with protein from potatoes and pea fibers this substitute mince meat is ninety five percent micro protein and can be cooked like the real thing. but is it really a replacements for meat in the long term and does it taste like meat at this down to eric heiden makes fries and serves up burgers until now they've consisted of one hundred percent beef but today he's creating one for especially out of mince fashion from micro protein. packet i will people know this isn't real mince meat it's given our thinks are especially in direct comparison with a meat burger. about. we're about to find out michael protein has yet to conquer menus the world over but great things have small beginnings. as a sign. this state of the art research lab and geese an intentional germany have been working for years on the perfect week in the substitute. although their fungal meat is made of common edible mushrooms. with a lesser why do you use oyster mushrooms. first it's a very flavorful mushroom with an intense hour mattick taste because. plus it's very high in protein and it has a nice texture so you don't have this squishy spongy feeling in your mouth it sounds promising let's give it a go to. move. my tastes lovely. the researchers don't wait for the fungus to develop into a mushroom all they need is the web the massive thread like filaments known as the mycelium. the process is demonstrated here on a small scale. the liquid nutrient contains fructose to feed the fungus the flasks are shaken to aerate the fluid without oxygen the from this wouldn't produce enough micro protein it's then freeze dried and stored for later use. the fungal protein can be produced in a relatively small space with a low energy input compared to meat consumption it's far more sustainable on environmentally friendly. normally the team produced their micro protein in this bio reactor it takes three days. this impressive looking more to dela was made without the use of eggs or other binding agents derived from animals it's currently a prototype and not yet commercially available. and i'm granted a sneak preview. it's not quite the same as mortadella but it does have a good strong taste. and then they never think it was made from that mushroom stick thought. and how will our burgers do it will be interesting to see whether our test tasters can distinguish the meat from the fungus version or in. other words are not saying this is mayn't and this one isn't. and how about this guy. are not for me. it's definitely not made right again this is me. not me but it's a circle not bad to make delicious so it's time for you to try one will the creator himself be won over by the fungus burgers. as for mr burnet is from personally i don't like the taste that much away from it but i could imagine that vegetarians and vegans might like it but life that's. the actual let's make up . as a as a dyed in the wool meet either i'm unlikely to go big an overnight but if you're looking to reduce your meat consumption this is a decent alternative to. mushrooms and other kinds of fun the other special type of organism not plants not animal. they're a world of their own with fascinating inhabitants. and the impact mushrooms have on the environment can be seen especially when they're gone. close beslow has a mission. to bring mushrooms out of the shadows. germany is home to over six thousand types of mushroom most of which. grow wild in forests but not as much as they used to and that is potentially problematic. invite if there are two central process is underway in a forest ecosystem stances the buildup of organic matter tree growth and the degradation of organic matter autumn leaves that accumulate trees could never grow to such heights without the help of funky it's put simply would be swamped in dead leaves and dead wood without fungal species they help with all break down these ports depend upon the key. but fundy are woefully under-appreciated. in germany treating manage forest supplanted very close together so they grow street and a cut down as soon as possible natural forests are completely different their trees are left to grow and diet their own pale. in the bavarian forest national park close besler shows us the remains of a primeval forest which is why there are such diversity of funky here but in fact the whole of germany could be like this and all see and. of course tells beslan knows there's no way all forest can be left to its own devices. he's investigating ways that fundie can be encouraged to flourish in managed forests and has set up experimentation zones at first glance they look unusual he's had trees felled entreats helps chairman and the key question is does leaving deadwood alone lead to a greater perforation of fungal the answer is clearly yes it does diversity of trees also encourages diversity of fungal. such as would decay fungus only the fruit the mushroom is visible the rest is in the tree charmed. similarly only the fruiting bodies of soil funding of visible the actual fungus is in the soil it's made up of very delicate threads this is the mice psyllium it forms on the roots of trees and plants and supplies them with nutrients. the my c.m. can spread out to cover large areas these underground network store water nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus which is shed with the trees. and return the trees supply the funding with sugar compounds they can't produce things themselves but they need them to grow many funky feed off dead wood poor wood provides a habitat for animal life such as insects the research of the trying to find out which surfaces animals thrive most in their experiments not yet finished but they've already reached certain conclusions. what's more important than the quantity of dead wood is the diversity of dead wood trees that are still standing dead wood on the ground and old leaves that's another decisive factor is the role of light in the forest forest managers need to ensure that there are clearings so the dead would get some sunlight that encourages biodiversity if you fart right now biodiversity is suffering as fungus experts are well aware. that endangered species are added to the global fungal read list. in germany volunteers have examined and evaluated over three million funny as part of the project. and. in. six there are some six thousand types of microfungus in germany can we can only identify a fraction of this number on site around two hundred types give or take. we have to identify the rest with the help of reference books back home. or examine them under a microscope. because. that smells of aniseed. oh look a rare bracket fungus. the collectors might be delighted by the sheer number of fundy they find but the result of their stock taking in so growing at least twenty five percent of local funny are endangered and dates here are many types of funky can't be compiled in q two a lack of information. close by so i would like to rescue as many types of endangered fundy as possible. and forest is the only place in germany where this particular type of groups. came to get it to multiply two years ago he succeeded in transplanting it. would mean plug. now he can take a sample and conduct a genetic analysis to establish if the fungus has actually settled but it will be a few months before the results are ready. and whatever the results is committed to continuing his work in fungus conservation and in the process protecting forests. we'll stay on facebook what feelings you associate with forests. how much fast econ forests are a good place for a creation and outdoor activities he says eating dinner in the woods is an amazing experience. disagrees in her post she points to the horrors of the woods like getting attacked by thousands of mosquitoes stumbling over vines and gets in your clothes. but. she compares nature and its splendid forests took her some looking beautiful in new clothing and she says we should stop deforestation everywhere. now it's time for all of you a question. this time may have been prompted by. all railroads in any case that comes from a. hard freeze or curry from a gonna want to know. why it is sometimes white and sometimes. in general a white smoke is produced when materials are burn marks small because common one plastic spork which go up and. flames the color of smoke has a lot to do with the stuff that's burning. and the range of colors is wide and varied. with steam locomotives but if it's warm outside and humidity is low the steam or smoke pops out of the stack is really quite that's because there's hardly any condensation. the smoke made by this beekeeper looks pretty white. the plant matter in his smoker is still a bit but no matter what the color it'll still ward off to be as for at least a while. smoke is actually bad for both our health and the environment but it is sometimes used to liberty for example to preserve food. or as a means of communication like during a papal election black smoke rising from the chimney of the sistine chapel means a new poll past not yet been chosen. i quite smoke means that the cardinals have reached a consensus. now it is the vatican and its chemicals to get to smoke its particular culture. if you have a. website. if. you get out a d.v.d. with a lighthearted look at albert einstein's most famous the. most important thing is to. try to tension. in the. special effects of smoke. on stage. at the movies. billowing clouds smoke and swirling particles. this is the stuff of fluid simulation used for out of this world movie special effects. are seen here in the latest star wars adventure the last jet i. real simulated clouds of smoke are easy enough to conjure up with some ink and a tank of water. but for the creators of computer animated effects they can be a challenge. nears two of a is a professor of games engineering in munich he's worked on visual effects for a range of hollywood movies. in twenty twelve he shed a technical achievement oscar for a program that simulates clouds of smoke it's a highly complex process. does kind of that's good looks a little and says it's all about turbulence it's the same problem that aircraft manufacturers car makers and weather forecasters have the underlying physics is very complicated and the complexity that arises is far too great for it to be simulated by. the. national encounter. the acclaimed why evil at turbulent software calculates smoke and explosions and recreates them in a realistic manner it's been used in numerous blockbuster movies including the star wars spin off rogue one. and in the last jet i the spectacular clowns from exploding spaceships would not have been possible without the munich teams work. what makes a realistic rendition of moving liquids in gas is so difficult is the chaotic motion of the individual particles in the smoke or ink how and where they move and how fast is determined by many different factors. simulation becomes even more difficult when the particles hit an obstacle. so far there hasn't been a satisfactory way to model their behavior. but now neil's today and his colleagues have found a solution instead of calculating the path of each individual particle their program only requires a rough preliminary design the system or them independently recognize patterns of motion and complete the animation with archive data it's based on a technique known as deep learning. the so called is leading the idea behind it is to use large amounts of data and let the computer learn to recognise the relationships between data it's a hugely promising approach deep learning makes a lot more possible so it's an interesting development for many areas of i.t. including these physics simulations voice in and from article and i'm off to do the physics not on. the research team is confident that deep learning methods will enable complex and realistic smoke simulations that even low budget film studios could afford. and while the algorithms developed in munich would be lending additional relisten to movies the scientists of other applications in mind in medicine for instance. the good ones and other kind which is the blood in our veins can be modeled using the same equations used to create these smoke clouds an interesting idea would be to build up a library of precise simulations such as blood flow behavior for a particular blood vessel geometry we could then use the learning algorithms to predict how an x. ray image relates to these flows that would be a very interesting direction for us and the thing we've done is endless under the still here. one day the fluid simulations might even help to save lives. but for now will primarily be seen them on the big screen in the jet i blow away the bad guys and audiences with explosives special effects. the more stories from the world of research and technology head to our web site e.w. dot com slash science. and to send us your comments on twitter and facebook. we'd love to hear from the. ones that for today next time we'll be looking at autonomous cars are highly seductive idea but who's responsible when there's an accident to find out next week on samoa today see you then but by our. the be. the be. the best the best. the be. the be. the be. the be. the be. the be. the be. the be. the best. from the challenges of cross country skiing to a journey back in time on the feet around the be mountains in eastern germany are full of surprises the be no wonder and limping champion has come to the tour subtribe adventures in the state of saxony the boogieman it was on the back of the st louis game saw a kids all about george chance to discover the world from different perspectives. join us to be inspired by distinctive instagram or years ago. w. story topics each week on instagram. feed created movie milestone. was an instrument of propaganda and persecution. it underwent bankruptcy and restructuring. but it still turning out films today. for germany's biggest and oldest film company. a cinematic history from the german empire to the present one. starting february eighteenth. you. will be a great miss that depend on critters fools along. comes film with a much more energy than who after the. first time you take the bus to work every day and that for the lot of them you add. to that someone a focal point here to bring the population growth worldwide to a halt this the one you have cannot support them every proof operation and cannot prove acceptable and then fall for the fall of. this is g w news live from berlin a passenger plane crashes near moscow officials say all seventy one people on board were killed an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash. also coming up german chancellor angela merkel hits back at conservative critics who say she made too many concessions to the social democrats in a coalition deal. and the winter olympics continue with plenty of action and inspiring stories will find out why the snowboarding competition brought a tear.