If a Zebra Finch bird could take part in The Masked Singer it would steal the show (that sounds like a great costume idea).

The Zebra Finch Can Memorize Over 50 Member Sounds

Just like we as humans can recognize voices and tell which friend or relative is calling out our name, this red-beaked, boisterous songbird known as the zebra finch, can address a particular member of the flock based on that member’s distinct song or contact call.

Researchers have stated that it requires a complex mapping skill for animals to recognize the source and meaning of a cohort member’s call, and the zebra finches have mastered that skill.

The Zebra Finches Live in Big Families

The zebra finch species travel in colonies of 50 to 100 birds, and they’re usually flying apart but keep coming back together at times. Their distance contact calls are used to identify where they are or to locate each other, while their songs are usually mating calls.

Imagine being on the road with 50 to 100 people, all part of your family, and recognizing each and everyone’s particular voice and pitch. This is something the zebra finches are proven to handle pretty well.

How Did the Research Go

Zebra finches were placed, one at a time, inside a chamber and listened to sounds as part of a reward system with the goal of the birds responding to a particular subject. The zebra finch participants were triggering an audio recording of the specific by pecking a specific key inside the chamber.

The recording lasted 6 seconds, and the birds who waited for it to finish before pecking again were awarded birdseed. When pecked before the recording was finished, they moved to the next recordings. This is how they figured which vocalizations would yield birdseed and which ones to skip.

After the zebra finches got used to the reward system, they were introduced to more audio recordings to teach them to distinguish which vocalizations belonged to which bird. Soon, they could easily tell the difference between 16 different zebra finches. Some birds performed better than others, and four of them were given even more challenges. The “champions” were supposed to distinguish between 56 zebra finches, and on average, they succeeded in recognizing 42.

Plaque, the nearly invisible evil that lives in everyone’s mouth, is responsible for so much of the possible damage to oral health that fighting it is dentristy’s most common battle. But Plaque HD toothpaste was developed in 2009 by an orthodontist who wanted to create a safe and at-home plaque-reduction program for people to use. It’s a toothpaste that utilizes Targetol Technology, a gluten-free coloring agent.

With this, the plaque on the teeth will be highlighted, and it will, in turn, be easier to clean the teeth and gums. However, according to randomized trials, it is believed that Plaque HD can also reduce inflammation throughout the body.

Testing the Theory

For years, many researchers have suggested that there could be a link between oral health and some inflammatory diseases which can affect the body. This includes heart attacks and strokes. High-sensitivity C-reactive proteins (hs-CRP) are how inflammation is measured in the body. It is also how doctors can predict potential future heart attacks and strokes.

In the trial, every participant was given the same brushing protocol. The hs-CRP levels were measured by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The findings revealed that Plaque HD toothpaste significantly reduces hs-CRP.

American Adults Often Have Some Inflammation

The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention was able to find that 47.2% of all American adults 30 years old and older have some kind of periodontal disease. This is a condition that causes inflammation in the gyms and tissues around the teeth. The disease can increase with age, and it affects more than 70% of the adults in the country aged 65 years and older. Studies in the past have suggested that periodontal disease can be connected to other diseases, including heart disease and stroke, along with other diseases caused by inflammation.

Further testing will be done to see whether the reduction of inflammation in the body when using Plaque HD toothpaste can decrease the progression of atherosclerosis in areas of the heart.