Where Did The Thoughtful Animal Go?
If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve no doubt noticed that things have been a little quiet around here. While this blog isn’t dead, per se, it’s on an extended hibernation.
The Thoughtful Animal
Exploring the evolution and architecture of the mind
Talking Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria
Earlier this week I sat down with my friend Cara Santa Maria to chat on her excellent podcast, Talk Nerdy. The conversation was wide-ranging: we talked about the discovery of a new group of insects in which the females have what many are calling a “penis-like structure” (but which the researchers have labeled a gynosome), [...]
Is It Good For Kids To Have A Pet?
People overwhelmingly believe that having pets is overall a good thing for children. Indeed, a 2003 paper by developmental psychologist Gail F.
Best of March, 2014
March was a busy month! Here’s everything I wrote last month. Here on The Thoughtful Animal: Oil Pollution is Making Gulf Dolphins Sick Studying Contagious Yawning Might Help Us Build Better Societies The Turtle with Human Eyes When Animals Act Like People in Stories, Kids Can't Learn At Conservation Magazine’s Conservation This Week blog: Move [...]
More Oarfish And This Time They’re Alive
In October, two oarfish mysteriously washed up dead on beaches in Southern California. It’s unusual to find one intact oarfish carcass, so the fact that there were two within days of each other had scientists scratching their heads.
When Animals Act Like People in Stories, Kids Can’t Learn
"Yum, these grass and plants are delicious!" Mother cavy thinks as she eats her breakfast. "I will feed some to my baby cavies too!" she says.
The Turtle with Human Eyes
At first glance, most eyes look the same. There’s a small opening through which light passes. That light goes through the transparent liquid behind the lens and strikes the retina, a thin film of light-sensitive nerve cells that line the back of the eye.
Studying Contagious Yawning Might Help Us Build Better Societies
We often turn to dogs and to chimpanzees to understand our species. Chimpanzees are our closest relatives (with bonobos), while centuries of selective breeding have turned dogs into a species uniquely suited to comprehend our own social cues.
Oil Pollution is Making Gulf Dolphins Sick
For eighty-seven days in 2010, 210 million gallons of oil from wells below the Deepwater Horizon poured into the Gulf of Mexico. Researchers announced recently that as a result, Bottlenose dolphins in Louisiana’s Barataria Bay are suffering from a host of maladies, including lung disease and adrenal problems.
Cows Learn Better With Friends
My schoolteachers took effort to separate close friends when arranging their classroom seating charts. The idea was that we’d pay more attention to our lessons if we were distracted by our buddies.
Blog Index
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Anthropology in Practice
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Everything you always wanted to know about raising science-literate kids
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Critical views of science in the news
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Explore the science behind the dog in your bed
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News and research about endangered species from around the world
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Science by and for kids ages 8-15
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Commentary invited by editors of Scientific American
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Illusions, Delusions, and Everyday Deceptions
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Discussion and news about planets, exoplanets, and astrobiology
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Not bad science
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Plugged In
More than wires - exploring the connections between energy, environment, and our lives
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Roots of Unity
Mathematics: learning it, doing it, celebrating it.
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Rosetta Stones
Adventures in the good science of rock-breaking.
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STAFFIllustrating science since 1845
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Talking back
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Tetrapod Zoology
Amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals - living and extinct
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The Artful Amoeba
A Blog About the Weird Wonderfulness of Life on Earth
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Voices
Exploring and celebrating diversity in science.
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