This question was posed as part of New Scientist’s Last Word series, in which readers give scientific answers to each other’s questions. Here’s what our readers had to say **Why don’t dogs look up when a low-flying plane or helicopter passes overhead? I’ve never seen one do this. (continued)** Referencing David Hubel and Torsten Wiesel’s work on the development of the visual cortex in animals, I believe the answer lies in the dog’s upbringing.
Hubel and Wiesel worked extensively on kittens, finding that if certain visual cues were removed from a kitten’s environment in the period when the animal’s brain was wiring its visual pathways, it wouldn’t be able to see those things once they had completed their development. In experiments, kittens brought up in a box containing only horizontal striped lines couldn’t see chair legs or other vertical objects in a normal environment. So, if a dog wasn’t brought up in an environment that included objects at different heights, then its brain would potentially never be able to recognise that there is an aircraft overhead.
And with the cacophony of other motorised and industrial sounds in our world, it is likely that the aeroplane would blend into the background. We had a kitten that leapt up at a jumbo jet. And I have seen a cat catch a bird in mid flight.
It began its leap in anticipation of the bird’s position. _To answer this question – or ask a new one – email [email protected]._ _\_Questions should be scientific enquiries about everyday phenomena, and both questions and answers should be concise. We reserve the right to edit items for clarity and style. Please include a postal address, daytime telephone number and email address.\__ _\_**\\_The use of AI tools (e.g.
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