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Elephants Classify Human Ethnic Groups By Odor And Garment Color

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When research is published, the work is often summarized so the general public can understand the studies. The media usually abridges the research to make it more appealing and interesting. When this happens, the research is often misinterpreted when portraying the original study. In 2007, there was a study released titled “Elephants Classify Human Ethnic Groups by Odor and Garment Color” and a popular news article was released in the same year to appeal to the public. The study showed that animals can benefit from distinguishing predators or other dangers into categories and classify the escape strategies to the potential risk factors. The popular news source did not accurately portray the study’s findings because it lacked information. …show more content…

On the other hand, groups that were not known to have any experience of spearing were tested as well. The researchers found that the elephant groups with spearing experience did not react in the same way to the scent of a Maasai-worn garment. The effect of spearing incidents on reactions to Maasai encounters is diverse by differences among elephants. Experiences may not be a determinant for the reactions of the elephants but visual characteristics play a big role. In the area of the experiment, traditionally dressed Maasai usually wear red while members of other groups often wear a range of colors. The researchers wanted to determine whether elephants can use the cloth color as a cue for classification when scent is not present. The researchers found that the elephants reacted significantly more aggressive when shown the red garment compared to the white, unworn garments. Visual cues associated with Maasai caused the elephants to react aggressively. As the scientific article explains the research content in technological terms, the general public usually do not read nor understand the findings. Instead, the majority of people find their sources on a popular news source that is more condense and easier to read. Often times, these portrayals are misconceived. With this specific scientific article releasing, a more popular news source

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