Imagine you’re moving to a new country on the other side of the world. Besides the geographical and cultural changes, you will find a key difference will be the language. But will your pets notice the difference? It was a question that nagged at Laura Cuaya,a brain researcher at the Neuroethology of Communication Lab at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest.

Cuaya set out to find the answer. She and her colleagues designed an experiment with 18 volunteer dogs—including her two Border Collies, Kun Kun and Odin—to see if they could differentiate(区分) between two languages. Kun Kun and Odín were used to hearing Spanish;the other dogs Hungarian. The dogs sat still within an MRI machine, while listening to an adaptation from the story The Little Prince. They heard one version in Spanish,and another in Hungarian.

Then the scientists analyzed the dogs’ brain activity and they found a different activity pattern for one language versus(与……相比)the other. Andics, who leads the lab where the study took place, said, “The finding suggests that dogs’ brain can differentiate between these two languages. In terms of brain imaging studies, this study is the very first one which showed that a non-human species brain can discriminate between languages. ” They also found that older dogs brains’ showed bigger differences in brain activity between the two languages,perhaps because older dogs have more experience listening to human language.

Amritha Mallikarjun, who wasn’t involved in this study but has been working on similar research about dogs and language, said, “It is a very exciting study because it shows that the ability to grasp the sounds and rhythms of a familiar language is something accessible to non-humans.”“And while this work relied on brain imaging,” Mallikarjun said, “it would be worth investigating whether dogs could differentiate between languages in behavioural studies, too.”

Leaf peeping, the practice of traveling to watch nature display the fall colors, is a beloved annual activity, especially in New England. Typically, by the end of September, leaves take on warmer colors throughout the U.S. But this year, many areas haven’t even shaken off the green shades of summer. In Maine, forest rangers reported less than 70% color change and modest leaf drop.

It’s commonly believed that trees, like people, must prepare for winter. When fall arrives, and day length and temperature drop, trees respond by ending green substance production and absorbing remaining nutrients, causing leaves to lose the original color. Greens give way to yellows, reds and oranges that make for dramatic autumn displays.

Warm fall temperatures can make the fall colors appear later. Worse, dry summers can cause leaves to miss the fall color turn altogether. Delay of the start of the fall colors, which has been moving later into the fall, could continue. “My observations in the last decade have had more years that were later than what we consider historical averages. It can be a trend as the planet warms,” said the expert Jim Salge.

It’s not just the plants that suffer. “Turning leaves offer an irresistible mass of color — which, by estimate, brings in as much as billions of dollars a year in tourism in New England,” said Andy Finton, a forest ecologist. That’s another good reason to focus on preserving forests. Leaf peeping can stay part of the area’s feature if forests are given enough protection. “If we can keep them unharmed, they’ll provide things we’ve depended on, as well as fall inspiration,” said Finton.