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Animals

An otter rolling on a moss-covered rock, eyes closed in a relaxed pose with a blurry background.

Animals

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You can think like an animal by silencing your chattering brain

The desire is partly whimsical, but a brief shapeshift across the taxonomic gulf could help us better empathise with animals

by Bryony Tolhurst

A yellow bird singing on a branch with a soft-focus green background.

Animals

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Learn to tune into birdsong – respite and fascination await

Listening deeply to the sounds of birds is a powerful form of meditation and a first step towards a rewarding new hobby

by David M Logue

Photo of an earthworm on rough grey asphalt surface with visible texture and sunlight casting shadows.

Bioethics

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Why, in a universe of pain, I’m saving stranded earthworms

Any action can seem futile amid so much suffering. I’ve realised the important thing is to stop despairing and do something

by Claire E Schultz

Music

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I learned to hear the music of Earth’s underwater musicians

If we consider the sounds of whales and other organisms with an open mind, we find a strange beauty – and can even join in

by David Rothenberg

Two bonobos embracing in a lush, green forest setting. Both have dark fur and are looking towards the camera.

Animals

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Same-sex sexual behaviour in mammals evolved to keep the peace

Although these new findings can’t tell us much about human sexuality, they could help to solve an evolutionary paradox

by Shayla Love

Illustration of a medieval trial with a sow and piglets in court, featuring people in robes and a judge in the background.

Animals

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If animals are persons, should they bear criminal responsibility?

Were medieval trials of animal criminals not a sign of backwardness, but in fact strangely progressive?

by Ed Simon

Photo of people silhouetted against a blue aquarium tank watching a beluga whale swim towards them.

Animals

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Human exceptionalism imposes horrible costs on other animals

We owe it to other animals and to ourselves to resist human exceptionalism. Accepting their inner lives is the first step

by Barbara J King

Photo of two ravens perched on a railing at the Tower of London with blurred tourists in the background.

Animals

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A basic sense of numbers is shared by countless creatures

Birds, bees, cats and other animals have an ability to use numbers. How can this help us understand people with dyscalculia?

by Brian Butterworth

Photo of a child cuddling a small dog, sitting on a blanket indoors. The child gently rests their face against the dog.

Evaluating therapies

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Time to move beyond the anecdotes around animal-assisted therapies

There’s so much excitement about using animals to help children with mental health problems, but what does the science say?

by Mirena Dimolareva

Photo of a tiny pink seahorse camouflaged among coral branches in warm orange underwater surroundings.

Animals

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Sex lives of the pygmy seahorses – a hidden, miniature marvel

Randy females, pregnant males and breeding quartets: the secret sex lives of the pygmy seahorses of Sulawesi in Indonesia

by Richard Smith

Photo of a grey whale surfacing near a small boat with people observing on a calm sea under a clear sky.

Nature and the environment

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Grey whales taught me how to mother, how to endure, how to live

When I was in crisis, grey whales taught me how to mother and how to endure, till I could find my own paths through change

by Doreen Cunningham

A painting of a kangaroo standing on rocks with a mountainous landscape and cloudy sky in the background.

Animals

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Calling Australia’s wildlife ‘weird’ puts it at risk

To see Australia’s wildlife as weird or bizarre adopts the colonial framings of past naturalists – and puts animals at risk

by Jack Ashby