The Cricket Wing

General FAQ

1. If I make a mistake, can I return to a photo or audio clip to correct it?
2. Can I see how many photos I've counted or audio clips I've classified?
3. What if I hear or see something that I want to tell the scientists about?
4. How will this information be used?
5. How can I ask a question that’s not in this FAQ?

1. If I make a mistake, can I return to a photo or audio clip to correct it?
No, you won't be able to return to a photo or audio clip that you've already submitted a classification for. However, we rely on the wisdom of the crowd, meaning that multiple volunteers will be presented the same audio clip or photo. If you submit an incorrect response, eventually a majority of correct answers will outweigh any errors!

2. Can I see how many photos I've counted or audio clips I've classified?
Yup! Log into your Zooniverse account, click on your username in the top right hand corner and select "Profile. Next, select "Your Stats", which will show you all of the classifications that you have done for all projects you've partaken in.

3. What if I hear or see something that I want to tell the scientists about?
The best way to get in touch with us is to tag us (@admins) in the Talk Boards.

4. How will this information be used?
This information will be used to answer a variety of questions pertaining to behavioural ecology, circadian biology, parasitism, evolution, and impacts of human-generated noise. Check out the "About" tab to read more on our research.

5. How can I ask a question that’s not in this FAQ?
If you check out "Talk" at the top of this page, you'll see questions and discussions from all the other volunteers who have interacted with the project. Take a look there first to see if someone has already answered your question. If not, start a new thread to see if other volunteers can give you a hand. We also check the boards frequently and try to answer as many questions as possible.

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Sperm Count FAQ

1. What do the different colors of sperm cells mean?
2. What if I cannot tell green from red?
3. What do I do if the sperm are really clumped, blurry, or hard to count?
4. How can I discuss a challenging photo with others?

1. What do the different colors of sperm cells mean?
In order to assess the impacts of noise on male cricket reproductive fitness, we want to know the sperm viability, which is the ratio of live to dead cells. To do this, we used a kit that stains the live cells green and dead cells red. Then, we looked at each cricket's sperm under a fluorescent microscope with different filters to reveal the live or dead sperm! You will get photos of both live and dead sperm as you classify.

2. What if I cannot tell green from red?
Fortunately, this workflow does not require you to differentiate between green and red. Each image you are shown will be either green or red, but not both! It may seem like the background has a reddish tinge, or there may be some small anomalies here and there, but you don't need to be able to tell red from green!

3. What do I do if the sperm are really clumped, blurry, or hard to count?
Sometimes cells will overlap or be very clumped - just do your best to estimate the number of cells in a clump! Check out the field guide for tips on how to do this. If the image is too challenging to count, then click "Next", and then "This image is too challenging to count" and we will review them.

4. How can I discuss a challenging photo with others?
Once you've selected all of the sperm in a photo and pressed "Next", you'll have the chance to select a button labelled "Done and Talk". Choose this and you'll be brought to the discussion boards for the project. Here you can add hashtags to the photo, add the photo to your collection, like the photo, or ask a question about it.

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Immune Cell FAQ

1. What do I do if the immune cells are really clumped, blurry, or hard to count?
2. How can I discuss a challenging photo with others?
3. What if I click on a cell with the pointer tool for the wrong cell type?
4. What if I’m not sure if a particle is a cell?

1. What do I do if the immune cells are really clumped, blurry, or hard to count?
Sometimes cells will overlap or be very clumped- just do your best to estimate the number of cells in a clump! Try zooming in to make things easier. Check out the field guide for tips on how to do this. If the image is too challenging to count, then click “Next,” and then “This image is too challenging to count,” and we will review them.

2. How can I discuss a challenging photo with others?
Once you’ve clicked on all of the cells in the photo and pressed “Next,” you’ll have a chance to select a button labeled “Done and Talk.” Choose this, and you’ll be brought to the discussion boards for the project. Here you can add hashtags to the photo, add the photo to your collection, like the photo, or ask a question about it.

3. What if I click on a cell with the pointer tool for the wrong cell type?
If you want to remove a point, you can hover your mouse over the point, and a small “x” will appear in the top right corner. Click on this to remove the point, and click the correct point tool to classify the cell correctly

4. What if I’m not sure if a particle is a cell?
If you are not sure if an object is a particle or a cell, you can just skip it and continue to click the rest of the cells in the photo. Feel free to also post any images you have questions about on the talk boards!

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Cricket Song FAQ

1. What do I do if I can hear cricket song very faintly in the background?
2. Why are there so many audio clips without cricket song?
3. Can I share audio clips from Project Chirp?
4. How can I discuss an audio clip with others?

1. What do I do if I can hear cricket song very faintly in the background?
Our crickets are recorded in incubators (which are basically temperature and lighting controlled mini-fridge looking pieces of lab equipment), and only one cricket is placed in each incubator along with an audio recorder. This means when the cricket of interest sings, it will be very obvious on the recording. If you happen to hear the slightest possible sound of cricket singing in the distance, this is likely another very loud cricket in a nearby incubator. You will select "No" for your response in this scenario.

2. Why are there so many audio clips without cricket song?
We record our crickets continuously for the duration of the experiment. Since crickets don't sing constantly all day, there are lots of recordings without sound.

3. Can I share audio clips from The Cricket Wing?
Yes, but please ascribe credit for the photos you are sharing to “The Cricket Wing”, and get in touch with @marywestwood before doing so.

4. How can I discuss an audio clip with others?
Once you've classified an audio clip and pressed "Done", you'll have the chance to select a button labelled "Done and Talk". Choose this and you'll be brought to the discussion boards for the project. Here you can add hashtags to the audio clip, add the audio clip to your collection, like the audio clip, or ask a question about it.