Stories by Jason G. Goldman

These winged pollinators appear to have emotions, but it’s an open question whether they subjectively experience feelings

An ant walking in the desert can gauge distance by footsteps and the sun's position, but an ant being carried can estimate distance by visual information perceived as it passed by.

New gene-editing technology breakthroughs could help save native species from the blight of invaders—but at what risk?

By playing road noise where there was no road, researchers were able to gauge the effect of the noise on bird behavior without having to deal with the effect of the road itself.

Bearded dragons modify their colors for camouflage or to maintain body temperature, or to communicate with other dragons. Jason G. Goldman reports.

Badgers were far more frightened by the sounds of humans than by their traditional predators, such as bears or wolves.

In neighborhoods where kids have an increased chance of exposure to toxic lead, pigeons also have higher blood lead levels—making the birds potential proxies for risk assessment.

Reintroducing mountain lions to the eastern U.S. could save human lives and reduce injuries by lowering deer populations and preventing car–deer collisions.

Fish flourished in creeks in which human engineers helped shore up beaver dams made weak by poor timber availability.

Scientists hope to learn whether arachnophobes' perception of spiders as larger than actual size causes their fear—or whether it is the fearfulness itself that causes their visual misperception.

A new study suggests the best predictor of wildlife abundance in public lands is not human activity, but factors like forest connectivity and nearby housing density. Jason G. Goldman reports.

New research suggests that our feline companions understand the principle of cause and effect. Jason G. Goldman reports.

Social spiders in artificially assembled groups of all bold or all shy members fared less well against predators than a group with some shy and some bold members.   

In the first known example of a mutualistic relationship between two mammal species in which neither is a primate, mongooses feast on ticks and other parasites infesting warthogs.

Damselfish had trouble sniffing out survival clues by their fellows in damaged coral. Jason Goldman reports.

A new study undermines the idea that humans only understand tool use by learning from others

Both exertion and synchronicity play a role in the social effects of dance

Woodpeckers that listen to others of their kind drum into trees alter their behavior based on what they hear.   

The Brazilian torrent frog has the most sophisticated visual communications system yet documented for a frog species.

Understanding the regional vocal patterns of various canid species sheds light on animal communication and could help ranchers broadcast "keep away" messages to protect livestock.

The big cats can still have a home in Africa, so long as the international community is willing to finance it

Arachnophobic study subjects estimated the size of spiders as bigger than did people who do not fear the eight-legged beasties. Jason Goldman reports.

Aegean wall lizards are the first wild animals to be observed explicitly choosing the best background for their particular coloration to disappear into.

Pairs of the birds stay together no matter what—even if it means one loses out on a meal