A recent study suggests that bird song adopts the same statistical pattern found in human language. Specifically, Portuguese, like most global languages, obeys Zipf's Law, a mathematical rule stating that the most frequent word in a text occurs twice as often as the second most used, which in turn appears three times more than the third, and so on.
An article published in the journal Science Advances demonstrated that the song of the Manon bird (Lonchura striata domestica) follows exactly this statistical pattern. Experts believe that birds developed this technique to simplify the learning process of their songs, facilitating their transmission between generations.
George Kingsley Zipf, an American linguist, identified this pattern among humans almost a hundred years ago while teaching at Harvard in the 1930s. He observed, for example, that in English, the most common article is 'the', while in Portuguese it would be 'o' or 'a' and their plural forms; the second most common words would be 'and' and 'of' in English, corresponding to 'e' and 'de' in Portuguese.
Although it is unlikely that the pattern in bird songs has a specific meaning like in human languages, such discoveries challenge the idea that human language is exclusive. Simon Kirby, a cognitive scientist and author of the study for Scientific American, commented that 'suddenly, we have unrelated species doing something similar to what humans do,' adding that this proposes a new classification for global communication systems.
Kirby speculates that Zipf's distribution may be easier to assimilate, and he hypothesizes that the most used sounds (chirps and tweets) function as references, helping novice listeners distinguish where one sound ends and the next begins. This is analogous to humans recognizing phrases in unknown languages, where keywords provide contextual clues.
To differentiate the chirps without understanding the 'Manon language,' researchers employed an algorithm based on how it is presumed that babies process language. The team analyzed hundreds of song samples, fragmenting them and measuring the frequency of each segmented unit.
This same Zipf pattern had already been recorded the previous year in the song of humpback whales, indicating that it emerged in at least three distinct evolutionary lineages over millions of years. Furthermore, since the songs of songbirds are inherited, Kirby suggests that similar patterns may aid learning in young birds, just as Zipf's Law helps human babies absorb surrounding language. Researchers now plan to investigate other parallels with human language that might facilitate learning in these species.
Viewing the Sun's outer atmosphere with the naked eye is an important factor that motivates eclipse observers to travel across the globe. On August 12th, this event has the potential to display a solar corona configuration that will not repeat exactly the same way.
Every total solar eclipse has distinct characteristics. Although the outline of the Moon passing in front of the Sun remains relatively stable, the moment our natural satellite completely obscures the solar disk generates a remarkable spectacle: the appearance of the corona.
The solar corona is considered one of nature's beauties. Observing its fine, pointed white filaments during the brief periods of totality provides a glimpse into infinity, although it is only a fleeting view, since the corona is constantly transforming.
Its formation is determined by the Sun's magnetic field, which is continuously changing, causing it to evolve annually, monthly, and even daily. For this reason, no total solar eclipse presents exactly the same structure.
This variability is one of the reasons why eclipse chasers persist in their travels. The corona, which can be observed during the total solar eclipse on Wednesday (12th), if the sky is clear, will serve as a unique record of the Sun at a specific point in Solar Cycle 25. It will reflect years of changes in magnetic activity, thousands of sunspots, and countless emissions of solar material.
After the end of totality, that exact arrangement of the corona will never be seen again. However, is it possible to predict its appearance?
Under normal circumstances, the solar corona—the outer layer of our star—is invisible. It extends millions of kilometers through the Solar System but is obscured by the intense luminosity of the photosphere, which is the visible surface of the Sun.
Totality alters this condition. When the Moon completely covers the photosphere, the corona suddenly appears. White filaments project away from the dark silhouette of the Moon, while pinkish structures and prominences may appear around its edge.
For many novice observers, one of the biggest surprises during totality lies not just in the detail, but also in the dimension. The corona often appears much larger than expected, extending several solar diameters from the eclipsed Sun.
Although photographs can capture part of this complexity, they rarely replicate the perception of depth and structure that the human eye can achieve, given its dynamic range superior to any camera.
The corona is not a static structure; it is composed of extremely hot plasma—ionized and highly energized gas—that remains trapped and shaped by the Sun's magnetic field. Since the solar magnetic field is constantly mutating, the corona also changes.
Ryan French, a solar physicist, author, and science communicator from the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) located in Boulder, Colorado (USA), and author of 'Little Book of Eclipses: An Essential Companion to Solar and Lunar Events', explained that 'the Sun follows a natural 11-year cycle of increasing and decreasing activity.'
He added that 'at the peak of this cycle, known as solar maximum, there are many sunspots on the Sun, which are giant magnets installed at the base of the solar atmosphere. These sunspots generate many solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which are a kind of explosions and energy irradiations from the Sun's atmosphere. During solar minimum, the Sun shows none of this.'
This magnetic activity defines the general shape of the corona. During solar minimum, when the Sun has few or no sunspots, the corona tends to look more symmetrical and uniform. Long filaments often extend from both sides of the Sun, giving the corona a wing-like appearance.
In contrast, during solar maximum, the structure can be considerably more elaborate. Sunspot areas act as magnetic anchor points, creating shapes that can resemble spikes or filaments projecting in various directions.
French commented: 'If you observed a total eclipse during solar maximum, the solar corona would look almost like a cartoon star with five points.' He justified this by saying that each of these sunspot regions generates a spiral or point that can be seen with the naked eye.
Current projections for August 2026 indicate a number closer to 102 sunspots. Although significantly fewer, the activity is still classified as high compared to recent cycle patterns.
This suggests that observers should expect something intermediate between the two extremes: neither a smooth, flattened corona typical of solar minimum, nor the most intense spectacle of solar maximum.
A useful analogy can be made with total solar eclipses that occurred near the previous solar maximum. Solar Cycle 24, which peaked in April 2014, was relatively weak. The total eclipses closest to that peak included the unusual hybrid eclipse of November 3, 2013, when the monthly number of sunspots hovered around 113.
Solar Cycle 23, which had two peaks—in March 2000 and November 2001—was more vigorous. The closest total solar eclipse occurred on June 21, 2001, when the monthly number of sunspots was around 203. Its corona was likely more complex than what is expected for 2026.
Therefore, the 2026 eclipse falls into an intermediate category. It will not be a repeat of the 2024 eclipse, nor will it be an eclipse under a calm Sun.
During the declining phase of an active cycle, the corona should present robust filaments that extend over large distances in space, but with greater asymmetry, with one side being more dynamic than the other.
French stated: 'It is specifically the sunspots near the edge of the Sun that determine how the corona will look.'
The Sun completes one rotation every 27 days. Consequently, any large active area of sunspots appearing on the edge of the Sun shortly before August 12th could drastically alter the appearance of the corona.
For this reason, any predictions about its appearance—usually released by Predictive Science about a week before the eclipse—tend to be adjusted on the day of the phenomenon itself.
One of the most impactful sights during totality is the appearance of intensely pink or reddish structures around the edge of the Moon. Generally, these structures are prominences—vast formations of hydrogen plasma suspended above the solar surface by magnetic fields. Beginners often confuse these prominences with solar flares, as happened after the total solar eclipse of 2024.
French clarified: 'Prominences are large magnetic structures that suspend plasma in the Sun's atmosphere and shine intensely at a very specific wavelength of light called hydrogen-alpha.'
Prominences are more frequent when the Sun is active. Since they can last for days or weeks, they are also easier to anticipate than a solar flare.
In hydrogen-alpha images taken before the eclipse day, observers will be able to identify which prominences are present around the edge of the Sun.
The 2026 eclipse may provide favorable conditions for observing these structures. This is because the Moon will appear only slightly larger than the Sun, a characteristic that also contributes to the relatively short duration of totality, of a maximum of two minutes and 18 seconds. Thus, smaller prominences on different sides of the Sun may be visible simultaneously.
The situation differs in longer eclipses, where the seemingly larger Moon may hide prominences on one side before revealing others on the opposite side.
A coronal mass ejection, abbreviated as CME, is an expulsion of plasma and magnetic field originating from the solar atmosphere. Observing such a structure during totality is possible—this happened during the total solar eclipse of December 14, 2020—but requires great luck.
French explained: 'CMEs travel very slowly, so it takes several hours to cross and escape the Sun's atmosphere. Therefore, you would not see any movement during an eclipse.'
He added: 'But what you might see, if you are lucky, would be an instantaneous photograph of a flare—although a long-exposure camera is probably more likely to record it than your eyes.'
Such a sight would be rare, but the chances increase when the Sun is in an environment of higher activity, compared to periods close to solar minimum.
Predictive Science will issue a forecast regarding the appearance of the solar corona. The model may be so accurate that some eclipse chasers choose not to consult it to preserve the surprise of totality.
One way to get a general idea is to follow real-time images generated by telescopes using coronagraphs to block sunlight, such as the COSMO K-Coronagraph, LASCO C3 from the NASA's SOHO mission, and GOES CCOR-1.
To monitor sunspots, it is also possible to consult the latest H-alpha image produced by the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG). No scientist, however, can determine exactly how the corona will look on August 12th.
This will depend on the Sun's magnetic activity in the days immediately preceding totality, the position of sunspot clusters, the presence of prominences, and the possibility of eruptions.
French concluded: 'Exactly what we will see during the August eclipse will depend on the activity that week.' He emphasized: 'And even if you saw an eclipse a month before or a month after, it could be very different.'
For a few fleeting minutes over Iceland, Spain, and the Balearic Islands, the hidden atmosphere of the Sun will become momentarily visible before returning to the star's brilliance.
And that specific configuration of the corona, recorded during the August 12th eclipse, will never be seen exactly the same way.
}, 2.Ford has begun making available a new artificial intelligence (AI) based assistant designed to answer specific questions related to its own brand's and Lincoln vehicles. This tool has the capability to provide practical data, such as fuel consumption estimates for trips or a vehicle's suitability for towing boats.
Initially, this assistant is accessible through the Ford and Lincoln mobile applications. Currently, it operates as a chatbot, assisting users with questions about the car's functionalities and predicting future maintenance needs.
Due to its direct link to the customer's vehicle, the assistant has access to detailed and exclusive information about that model, ranging from fuel level to load and towing capacity.
Ford plans to expand this technology into the vehicles themselves. The expectation is that a voice-controlled version will be integrated into cars starting in 2027. Until then, owners must use the version available in the applications.
The automaker did not disclose which AI developers participated in the project. However, the company stated that it developed the assistant autonomously from a specific chatbot, enabling its compatibility with various large language models (LLMs).
While the full implementation of this strategy is not complete, Ford will opt to integrate Gemini into its vehicles as an alternative option to Google Assistant. This collaboration was previously announced by the company earlier this year.
According to Ford, starting with the application allows the assistant to reach a larger number of customers than would be possible only through a vehicle software update. The release of the tool is happening progressively, in phases, aiming to reach eight million Ford and Lincoln vehicle owners.
Mike Aragon, President of Integrated Services at Ford, highlighted in a post on the company's blog that choosing to prioritize the application brings the future of Ford's intelligence to customers immediately. He emphasized that there is no need to wait for the purchase of a new vehicle, as the ownership experience is being improved from the start.
Aragon stressed that the real advancement will occur when the assistant moves from owners' phones to the dashboard screens. He clarified that the functionality will not be implemented via phone mirroring, as happens with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but rather incorporated directly into the driving experience.
The executive detailed that the assistant is capable of answering questions contained in the owner's manual, in addition to providing real-time updated data from the vehicle's telemetry system. Additionally, the tool will have the ability to analyze images sent by the owner, allowing, for example, the driver to photograph an object to check if the vehicle supports its transport or towing.
Currently, on the Ford and Lincoln digital platforms that use Android, Gemini will be available to assist with tasks such as navigation, sending text messages, and media playback. In the future, Ford plans to unify these functions into a single assistant, combining specific vehicle queries with entertainment and information features, thus creating a totally personalized experience for each owner.
For now, Ford guarantees that the new assistant will be free, without subscription or paid access costs, although the company has not confirmed whether this free access will be maintained after full integration into the vehicles' operating system.
