Gazelles have polygynous mating habits. Usually, males will mate with many different females throughout their lifetimes. Yet, this short article from the August 14, 1847, Scientific American suggests a monogamous bond between gazelle that was so strong it produced a tragic ending: While the article suggests grief to be the culprit of the male gazelle’s [...]

If you live in the upper ocean, it pays to be transparent to avoid the gaze of Things Bigger and Hungrier Than You, since sunlight will pass right through. But if you live deep in the ocean, where predators often come equipped standard with searchlights, being transparent means  lighting up like a Christmas tree under [...]

By Mara Grunbaum and Ferris Jabr Dear Evolution, Let’s start with the wings: did you really have to turn them into flippers? Don’t get us wrong—we appreciate the swimming and diving talents. But couldn’t you have come up with some kind of compromise so that we could still fly? Maybe a 2-in-1 special, a wing/flipper [...]

The computer, smartphone or other electronic device on which you are reading this article has a rudimentary brain—kind of.* It has highly organized electrical circuits that store information and behave in specific, predictable ways, just like the interconnected cells in your brain. On the most fundamental level, electrical circuits and neurons are made of the [...]

Happy father’s day! First off, to every father out there (biological or not), this is the time where we stand up and say thank you. We may not always show it, but we love you and appreciate everything you have done for us thus far. Today is also the day where we celebrate the uniqueness [...]

The most surprising part of this story was that they managed to record brainwave activity from the sharks. This tale is about one of the most fascinating figures in the history of neuroscience: Dr. Robert Galambos. This is his story. Right: Robert Galambos, MD, PhD  Source: The New York Times Decades ago, Dr. Galambos discovered [...]

The lush riverside vegetation sways as a herd of elephant wends its way between the broken pools. Standing at the top of an embankment, a half-grown male is watching a larger elephant trudge up the slope toward it. Without warning, the youngster squats down on his haunches (just like a dog) and launches himself down [...]

We, as emotional beings, place a high value on happiness and joy. Happiness is more than a feeling to us – it’s something we require and strive for. We’re so fixated on happiness that we define the pursuit of it as a right. We seek happiness not only for ourselves and our loved ones, but [...]

Animals may not be able to predict earthquakes, but many—from elephants to spiders—are quite adept at detecting vibrations that are imperceptible to humans. Yes, there’s a whole world out there we are mostly unaware of. It jiggles and gyrates and shakes and vibrates as waves travel through solid substrates such as sand and tree trunks. [...]

Rhesus macaques, which are some of the best studied of all monkeys, establish hierarchies in their social groups. Whenever two macaques tussle over a piece of food, say, or the right to mate, the monkey with the higher rank usually wins. Primatologists have established that monkeys of a lower social status are generally more stressed [...]

On the evening of Wednesday, March 21, a mouse scurried into a storm drain near the southeast corner of Central Park in New York City. If anyone noticed the mouse at all, whatever shallow impression the sight of a Manhattan rodent made on their minds likely vanished within seconds, rinsed away by a new wave [...]

Let’s be honest: tarsiers look odd. Among the smallest of all primates, most species of tarsier would fit easily in the palm of your hand. They have long, slender, largely hairless tails and elongated fingers with knobby knuckles and mushroom-cap finger pads. To fully confront the tarsier’s bizarre anatomy, you must stare it in the [...]

Author’s Note: The following originally appeared at ScienceBlogs.com and was subsequently a finalist in the 3 Quarks Daily Science Prize judged by Richard Dawkins. Fairness is the basis of the social contract. As citizens we expect that when we contribute our fair share we should receive our just reward. When social benefits are handed out [...]

Humans are one of the most cooperative species on the planet. Our ability to coordinate behavior and work collaboratively with others has allowed us to create the natural world’s largest and most densely populated societies, outside of deep sea microbial mats and a few Hymenoptera mega-colonies. However, a key problem when trying to understand the [...]

The United States is the deadliest wealthy country in the world. Can science help us explain, or even solve, our national crisis? His tortured and sadistic grin beamed like a full moon on that dark night. “Madness, as you know, is like gravity,” he cackled. “All it takes is a little push.” But once the [...]

Click here for Part One: An Interview with Sarah Blaffer Hrdy on Mother Nature As I explored in my article, “Women and Children First”, Sarah Blaffer Hrdy has faced innumerable challenges in the course of her scientific career. However, part of what makes her work so innovative and exciting to read is how she’s used [...]

Click here for Part Two: Sarah Blaffer Hrdy on the Evolutionary Lessons of Motherhood In my cover article out this week in Times Higher Education I featured the life and work of famed primatologist and evolutionary theorist Sarah Blaffer Hrdy. While she never intended to be a radical, she has nevertheless had a radical influence [...]

For decades the science of child-rearing was guided by patriarchal ideas, but now the cradle rocks to an older rhythm. The infants had been arranged into neat rows, swaddled in aseptic white cloth the way precision instruments would be secured for shipping. Masked, hooded and gloved nurses cautiously moved down the aisle to record vital [...]

New research confirms that social complexity enriches cognitive growth. Could having more Facebook friends actually make you smarter? Let’s face it, as a species we’re obsessed with ourselves. The vast majority of us spend our days at work or school where a considerable amount of time is taken up not discussing the important issues of [...]

Culture defines who we are but few can explain where it comes from or why we adopt one tradition over another. In the classic musical The Fiddler on the Roof the family patriarch, Tevye, muses on this basic fact of human existence: Here in Anatevka we have traditions for everything… how to eat, how to [...]

Author’s Note: The following originally appeared at The Prancing Papio. For more on this subject I recommend Brian Switek’s discussion at Wired Science and Ed Yong’s at Discover. I had always been afraid of my grandfather and now I was staring at his pale, lifeless hand inches from my face. But the very same arthritic [...]

Evolutionary biologist Lee Alan Dugatkin has made his career studying cooperation, so it makes perfect sense that the subject of his latest book would be an anarchist. In The Prince of Evolution Dugatkin tells the story of the Russian prince, evolutionary theorist, and political radical Peter Alexeyevich Kropotkin whose Darwinian theory of mutual aid was [...]

I opened up a new field site for this field season. It was a beast! Although I only caught two individual Pouched rats over the 80 x80 m square grid, it was a great effort. And much was learned. In addition to non-target captures in my live traps, I also put out camera traps. I [...]

I am back and ready to work. Kind of. LOL, this heat and humidity is kicking my butt. What was I thinking coming back in the rainy season? Oh, yeah, I gotta know how the different seasonal patterns may affect natural history of the Pouched Rats. My time has been on getting the necessary approvals [...]

This post was originally posted at Urban Science Adventures! © on March 2, 2010 titled: Honey Bees Buzz with Individuality. I still enjoy the subject of this paper.  I lead a journal discussion with my lab group.  I thought it would be a great paper for our group since research topics include individual variation, genetic, [...]

My hands are full lately, as you can tell. Here I am checking on one of my Ghana Pouched Rats. Just as adorbs, but I am sure very different than my Tanzania Pouched Rats – in look and behavior. Notice how I’m NOT in this picture with this sleepy-head rat.  I’m interested in working with [...]

Originally posted at Urban Science Adventures! © I took these photos at Litszinger Road Ecology Center (an Urban Nature Reserve) spring 2006. Two Tom Turkeys (males) facing off. Two Tom Turkeys trying to impress a Hen Turkey (female). Can you see her? She’s much smaller and to the right of the males. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

In all of the excitement and concern in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, many people’s attentions have turned to rats? So What Happened to All of the Subway Rats? The Ratpocalypse Has Been Canceled Did NYC rats survive hurricane Sandy? And one that hits a little closer to home: It spurred some comments, mostly tongue-in-cheek [...]

I’ve been in Tanzania nearly 2 weeks and I’m getting settled. Here’s an overview of what I’ve been up to. I’ll be setting the traps soon to catch rats. If you would like to see more photos from my Trip to Tanzania, then follow allow on my Facebook Fan Page.  I’ve posted my pictures from [...]

Field Biology may be one the most romanticized career tracks of the sciences. Images of exotic wild places, muddy boots, trekking through forests or mountains or grasslands, enduring the elements, swatting mosquitoes and other pesky insects… a scientist on an exhilarating journey exploring nature.  Field work can be simultaneously amazing and exhausting, filled with lots [...]

I’m convinced I study the most adorable rat species in the world, Cricetomys gambianus, the African Giant Pouched Rat or the Gambian Rat.  They are perhaps more famously known as Hero Rats because of their humanitarian work in detecting explosive devices and tuberculosis in biological samples. These are my rats, in the lab.  They are [...]