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Animals

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

An illustrated medieval courtroom with a sow and piglets on trial, people observing, and officials judging from a raised platform.

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

Silhouettes of people observing and photographing a beluga whale through an aquarium glass in a dimly lit blue environment.

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

Two ravens perched on a black railing at the Tower of London, with crowds and historic stone buildings 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

A boy lovingly cuddles a small dog, their faces touching, while sitting on a cushioned surface.

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

A tiny, pink pygmy seahorse camouflaged against coral in an underwater scene with vibrant orange and pink hues.

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

A large whale surfacing next to a boat with people in life jackets observing and taking photos on a clear day.

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

Painting of a kangaroo standing on a rock with a misty mountain and trees in the background under a cloudy sky.

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

A fluffy chick facing a blue screen with scattered white dots.

Knowledge and reason

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Babies and chicks help solve one of psychology’s oldest puzzles

From the beginning of life, both humans and other species can grasp important characteristics of the world around them

by Giorgio Vallortigara

Two children wearing jackets and a dog sit on a stone bench, facing the sea. One child has an arm around the dog.

Animals

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Be they friend or foe, animals share our blood and our planet

Human society is enmeshed with nonhuman animals: they are our kin and our fellow travellers on this planet we call home

by David P Barash

A close-up of a vibrant green hummingbird in flight, with wings blurry and a blurred green background.

Nature and the environment

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A vast, thrilling world of nature unfolds outside of human time

Human life might stretch over decades, but the lifespans of many other organisms on this pale blue dot leave us in the dust

by Nicholas P Money