{
  "id": 19982280,
  "title": "Scientists Made Monkeys Watch Minions to Study Their Brains",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/14/scientists-made-monkeys-watch-minions-to-study-their-brains",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-11-14T13:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "404 Media",
    "slug": "404-media",
    "url": "https://www.404media.co/scientists-made-monkeys-watch-minions-to-study-their-brains/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Scientists have discovered how primates, including monkeys, interpret visual information by studying their reaction to watching Despicable Me. Researchers from the City College of New York analyzed the eye movements and brain activity of both humans and two macaques as they watched various videos. The findings suggest that visual processing is not a series of isolated snapshots but rather a continuous process, with the brain responding to \"semantic novelty\" - new conceptual information that arises over the course of a video. The study sheds light on the complex way our brains make meaning out of visual scenes, involving multiple regions beyond just visual processing.",
  "summary": "To better understand how primates make meaning from visuals, a team studied the brainwaves and eye movements of humans and macaques as they watched Minions and nature documentaries.",
  "key_points": [
    "Researchers studied monkeys' brain activity while watching Despicable Me.",
    "Eye movements and brain responses revealed continuous visual processing.",
    "Study highlights semantic novelty's role in interpreting visual scenes."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}