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Scientists or veterinary workers doing experiments in lab with experimental animals biological genetic engineering research
Addressing the Problematic Past of Animal Behavior Research
Some of the foundational studies in the field were neither ethical by today’s standards nor replicable. But we can do better.
Addressing the Problematic Past of Animal Behavior Research
Addressing the Problematic Past of Animal Behavior Research

Some of the foundational studies in the field were neither ethical by today’s standards nor replicable. But we can do better.

Some of the foundational studies in the field were neither ethical by today’s standards nor replicable. But we can do better.

animal behavior

four wolves cluster together in the snow next to a tree. one wolf at the front looks out into the distance.
Toxoplasma-Infected Wolves More Likely to Lead Packs, Study Finds
Katherine Irving | Nov 29, 2022 | 3 min read
The parasite appears to make infected wolves less risk-averse, potentially influencing the behavior of packs.
Cover of <em>Pests.</em>
Book Excerpt from Pests
Bethany Brookshire | Nov 14, 2022 | 5 min read
In a chapter on cats, author Bethany Brookshire explores the thorny issue of felines that live freely.
Cover of <em>Pests.</em>
Opinion: Are Cats Friends or Fiends?
Bethany Brookshire | Nov 14, 2022 | 4 min read
In Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains, I explore what it is that makes an animal a pest—and it has nothing to do with their behavior, but rather our own desires and beliefs about the natural world.
Three turtles resting closely together on a log, one end of which is submerged in brackish water
Turtle Vocalizations Reframe Origins of Auditory Communication
Amanda Heidt | Oct 26, 2022 | 4 min read
Sounds made by more than 50 vertebrates previously thought to be mute push back the origin of this type of communication by at least 100 million years, a study finds.
Brightly colored birds resting on a tree
Book Excerpt from The Creative Lives of Animals
Carol Gigliotti | Oct 17, 2022 | 3 min read
In the book's introduction, author Carol Gigliotti makes the case that intricate behavioral patterns can be just as important to conserve as species’ genomes.
Brightly colored birds resting on a tree
Opinion: Biodiversity Loss Worsened by Extinguishing Animal Innovators
Carol Gigliotti | Oct 17, 2022 | 4 min read
When species disappear, more than their genomes are lost. The potential for their creative innovation to benefit ecosystems vanishes as well.
Kentish plover standing by nest with eggs
Avian Deception More Widespread Than Previously Thought
Andy Carstens | Oct 3, 2022 | 5 min read
The broken-wing display, in which birds fake being wounded to protect their nests from predators, is found across the avian phylogenetic tree, a study finds.
An intact scorpion claw-in-claw with an autotomized one
Constipation’s Effect on Scorpion Sex Garners Biology Ig Nobel
Christie Wilcox, PhD | Sep 16, 2022 | 3 min read
Other winners of this year’s prizes include research on the physics of ducklings and the therapeutic potential of ice cream.
bird perched next to brick atop trash can
Science Snapshot: Fine Feathered Foes
Lisa Winter | Sep 14, 2022 | 1 min read
Australians are resorting to increasingly drastic measures to keep cockatoos out of their garbage bins.
Brightly colored intersecting lines, creating a chaotic pattern that resembles a subway map.
Monkeys Look for Patterns that Aren’t There—Just Like Humans Do
Dan Robitzski | Aug 31, 2022 | 4 min read
Macaques continued to search for answers to an unsolvable laboratory task, seemingly refusing to believe that the correct answers were random and inconsistent.
dead bee surrounded by yellow flower petals
Science Snapshot: One Insect’s Corpse Is Another’s Breakfast
Lisa Winter | Aug 31, 2022 | 2 min read
Though it’s poetic to say that ants were grieving the bee at a funeral, the reality is a bit more prosaic.
Cover of When Animals Dream: A colourful illustration of an octopus.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Book Excerpt from When Animals Dream
David M. Peña-Guzmán | Aug 25, 2022 | 3 min read
In Chapter 1, “The Science of Animal Dreams,” author David M. Peña-Guzmán relays the history of researchers digging into the mental realities of nonhuman brains.
A black dog with tearful eyes looks at the camera
Dogs Cry Tears of Joy: Study
Christie Wilcox, PhD | Aug 22, 2022 | 6 min read
Pet dogs produce a larger volume of tears when they are reunited with their owners than with acquaintances, possibly because of surging oxytocin levels—findings that could be the first evidence of emotional crying in nonhuman animals.
Cover of When Animals Dream: A colourful illustration of an octopus.<br><br>
Opinion: Animal Dreaming Should Give Us Ethical Pause
David M. Peña-Guzmán | Aug 15, 2022 | 4 min read
Research shows that humans aren’t the only animals whose imaginations run wild while they sleep.
old dog smiles at camera
Inside the Brains of Aging Dogs
Lesley Evans Ogden, Knowable Magazine | Aug 1, 2022 | 8 min read
In a citizen science project, thousands of pet dogs are helping scientists to understand what happens to memory and cognition in old age.
Male common fruit fly (Drosophila Melanogaster) - about 2 mm long - sitting on a blade of grass with green foliage background
The Sex Appeal of Symmetric Songs
Mary Bates | Aug 1, 2022 | 5 min read
Female fruit flies assess the physical symmetry of male suitors through the songs they sing, a study claims.
A dolphin comes out of the water to catch a red ball.<br><br>
Dolphins May Remember Personal Experiences
Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Jul 29, 2022 | 4 min read
Bottlenose dolphins can recall trivial details of a prior event to later solve a novel task, a study finds, suggesting these mammals are capable of episodic memory.
A whale's upper body landing on a fishing boat
Why Did This Whale Smack Into a Boat?
Amanda Heidt | Jul 26, 2022 | 3 min read
Collisions with small craft are rare, but there are conditions that can make these encounters more likely.
mouse nose peeking out from between two yellow objects
Not-so-Mellow Yellow: Pregnant Mice’s Urine Stresses Out Males
Sophie Fessl, PhD | Jun 20, 2022 | 3 min read
An odorant found in the pee of pregnant mice—and in bananas—induces stress but also relieves pain in male mice, a study shows.
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