Animals

A pod of long-beaked common dolphins swim off Orange County, California
Science

Microplastic Found In Exhaled Breath of Dolphins Could Mean Very Bad News For Humans

By Miranda Dziobak, Leslie Hart and The Conversation

New research shows bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay in Florida and Barataria Bay in Louisiana are exhaling microplastic fibers.

Science

A New Book Argues We’re All Asking The Wrong Question About Animal Communication

By Erica Goode and Undark

What animals are saying is less crucial than why they are communicating in the first place.

Raising salmon in a tank at an aquaculture farm in Dubai.
Science

Fish Farmers Struggle To Recreate Wild Environments — With Surprising Consequences

By Becca Franks, Chiawen Chiang and The Conversation

Many sea creatures lead complex, social lives in the wild and are likely to suffer in farmed conditions. But that’s not all.

A ginger cat sleeps in his soft cozy bed on a floor carpet, soft focus
Pet Science

Is My Cat Happy? Here's the Shocking Answer

By Elana Spivack

Not to worry, your cat can be happy.

An illustration of a court scene during the late-17th century witch trials in Salem, Mass.
Culture

What The Evidence Really Says About The Role Of Dogs At the Salem Witch Trials

By Bridget Marshall and The Conversation

It was 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. Witches were on trial — but so were the town’s dogs.

Science

The Real Reason You Shouldn’t Let Your Dog Stick Its Head Out the Window

By Elana Spivack

Everyone might be doing it, but you probably shouldn’t.

Photo of woman hand holding dog paw at home
Science

Science Says You’ve Been Talking to Your Dog Completely Wrong

By Elana Spivack

Slow down when talking to your pup.

A fork-tailed woodnymph is seen taking nectar from a yellow and red flower.  The beak of the bird is...
Health

A Hummingbird’s All-Sugar Diet Would Give Anyone Diabetes — Scientists Finally Know Their Secrets

By Bob Holmes and Knowable Magazine

How the smallest birds cope with the extreme demands of their lifestyles might help everyone become healthier.

The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus)
Science

Ancient DNA Brought the World’s Most Threatened Cat Species Back From the Brink of Extinction

By Johanna L.A. Paijmans, Axel Barlow, José A. Godoy and The Conversation

To boost the genetic diversity of populations on the brink, conservationists sometimes turn to “genetic rescue.”

Closeup of a cute malinois dog with a halloween pumpkin in his mouth in a magical forest , halloween...
Health

Is Pumpkin Spice Dangerous To Dogs? Here’s Why They Should Avoid It

By Elana Spivack

For dogs, pumpkin might be healthy, but pumpkin spice is not.