Wageningen, The Netherlands — Researchers from different disciplines can now combine data from a wide range of measurement systems with observational data in the today released The Observer® XT 10, the latest in behavioral research software. A large number of researchers, active in both animal and human observational research, consider The Observer XT the gold-standard of software for the collection, analysis, and presentation of observational data. New features include an improved numerical analysis, a built-in questionnaire tool, compatibility with Windows 7, and a number of other improved functionalities.

With 60 participants attending last December’s course in animal behavior in Beijing, the interest was even greater than the organizers had hoped. People travelled from as far away as Hong Kong to attend this 3-day course. The participants were also very happy with it, with many giving it an above-average rating and not a single person giving it a poor rating. The content was a mixture of theory and hands-on. It covered the use of a wide variety of tools for measuring behavior including both manual and automatic ways to measure behavior.

A complete solution for sociability tests with mice. That is what Noldus offers with the addition of their new three-chambered sociability cage. Made with clear acryllic walls, it is especially designed for optimal video tracking with EthoVision^® XT. It also combines perfectly with the Multiple Body Points Module for detailed tracking of the mouse’s nose point, center point, and tail base, without the need for markers or sensors.

This new solution gets researchers exactly the parameters they need, such as how much time the mouse spends in each chamber, the number of transitions between the chambers, and the time spent investigating the partner animal. And to further detail the results, the Manual Event Recorder integrated in EthoVision XT Base allows scoring of additional behaviors, such as sniffing.