(Source: sarahaubel)

(Source: biomedicalephemera)

neurolove:

Have you ever wondered why people say when you see a bear you should stand still?  Just from a logical standpoint, it sounds pretty stupid to stay still when something might attack you.  However, when you learn a bit more about the visual system, it might not be such bad advice.

We process visual information in two pathways: the ventral and dorsal streams.  The ventral stream processes color and form- the “what” of an object.  The dorsal stream processes the “where”- movement and depth (how far away) of an object.  We take both of these things and their combination into the way we view the world completely for granted.

There is evidence that predators (like bears) may not have much of a ventral pathway and rely mostly on the dorsal stream… and this makes sense.  They need to know where the prey is in relation to themselves, so they can get to it and eat it quickly before it can run for cover.  The exact form of the prey is not so significant (you don’t need to know that a particular rabbit’s head is rounder than most rabbits to know that it could make a good next meal).  Therefore, if you stand still, the bear would not be very good at picking you out from the trees and landscape.  That is, until you move, and then it knows that a possible meal could be over that way and it can focus on where you are and if you might make decent prey.

[Image Source]

(Source: pulmonaire, via morganlevine)

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