This is not about the human-animal relationship which is the prime topic of this website but about the human-animal and our evolution from the great apes. Scientists at a number of institutions and universities – primarily Texas University and Columbia – have identified the genetic …
Animal consciousness or animal self-consciousness (the same thing using a different description) is very complicated and it is an area of research in which science and philosophy intersect. They both play a role in assessing animal consciousness. Some websites like to list animals that have …
When I think about it, the results of this study are pretty much common sense. If you remove a vital part of an animals defensive anatomy you are going to alter the mentality of that animal negatively. It is the same with declawing cats about …
A study has found that dog bites are more common in warmer weather. This correlates with the fact that humans generally are more aggressive during warmer weather (more boozing?!). It also correlates with revolutions anecdotally appearing to happen more in the summer (good weather makes …
In the UK, the great crested newt is protected under European law. The species is quite widespread across the UK. It is illegal to harm them or damage their habitat. This presents a problem to building developers in planning applications. They have to apply for …
When people think of pollinators they normally think of bees. That’s because we enjoy seeing them in the daytime pollinating plants. But bees are under stress from insecticides and industrial farming. The numbers are falling. Without the pollination of bees all the plants that they …
This is an extraordinary frog, quite unique in several ways. It is one of the oldest frog species found in the forests of Brazil. It has an odd diet: fruit rather than insects. Not only is this frog a plant eater it may also be …
Giraffes can think rationally according to this study published in the journal Scientific Reports. The scientists are based at the University of Barcelona. Alvaro Caicoya (PhD student) and colleagues discovered that in the tests described below giraffes chose the boxes containing their favorite food. Test …
A study has found that dog walkers should use short leads when walking their dog to minimise the possibility of injury to themselves and their dog. They’ve revealed a link between traumatic brain injuries in people walking their dog and long leads. Brain injuries were …
