The SciencesJanuary 22, 2016
Sharks Head Straight Home by Smell
Sharks that could smell headed straight back home when taken a few miles away whereas some that had their senses of smell blocked took slower, more erratic paths to their old haunts.
Stories by Jason G. Goldman
Jason G. Goldman is a science journalist based in Los Angeles. He has written about animal behavior, wildlife biology, conservation, and ecology for Scientific American, Los Angeles magazine, the Washington Post, the Guardian, the BBC, Conservation magazine, and elsewhere. He contributes to Scientific American's "60-Second Science" podcast, and is co-editor of Science Blogging: The Essential Guide (Yale University Press). He enjoys sharing his wildlife knowledge on television and on the radio, and often speaks to the public about wildlife and science communication.
Mind & BrainJanuary 14, 2016
City Swans May Tolerate Humans Due to Gene Variant
More members of an urban swan population that lets humans get near have a particular genetic variant than do a rural swan group that tends to take off when humans approach.
The SciencesJanuary 12, 2016
Hippo Meat-Munching May Explain Their Anthrax Outbreaks
Hippos eat meat more than had been thought, a practice that could explain their susceptibility to anthrax die-offs when they consume infected animals.
BiologyJanuary 1, 2016
Bison “Vote” on the Direction They'd Like the Herd to Move
And the ungulates operate by majority rule
The SciencesDecember 29, 2015
Baby Whales Pecked to Death by Gulls
Almost all southern right whale calves off the coast of Argentina’s Peninsula Valdez are being fed upon, some fatally, by kelp gulls, which was a rare occurrence four decades ago
The SciencesNovember 13, 2015
Howler Monkeys Trade Testicles for Decibels
Among howler monkey species, loud calls come at the expense of testicle size and sperm production—or to put it another way, monkeys with the largest testes don't make as much noise
The SciencesNovember 1, 2015
Self-Medicating Monkeys Gobble Painkilling Bark
Sick red colobus monkeys in Uganda ate the very same plants that local people use to treat illnesses
The SciencesSeptember 1, 2015
Does Your Dog Love You?
The answer could well be “no”
EvolutionSeptember 1, 2015
Bird Cries Wolf to Deceive Predator 40 Times Its Size
The brown thornbill scares away its attacker by pretending an even bigger bird is nearby
The SciencesAugust 1, 2015
Dolphins "Shout" to Be Heard over Boat Noise
And they expend energy to do so
Mind & BrainJune 1, 2015
Baby Bats Babble through Childhood Like We Do
Fruit bats stand in for vocal-learning mammals in isolation tests to test language development
The SciencesMay 1, 2015
First-Ever In-Home Toilets Spotted for Ants
Ants are known for their cleanliness. Why would they store their waste?
EnvironmentApril 1, 2015
Flowers Are "Darker" at Lower Latitudes
UV radiation may explain why plants and animals closer to the equator come in darker varieties
The SciencesMarch 1, 2015
Clever Bird Uses Nature as Its Breadbox
Spotted nutcrackers take perishability into account when storing food for later
The SciencesFebruary 1, 2015
The Hives of Others: Bees Wage War across Species
Australian stingless bees stage strikingly rare interspecies battles
The SciencesJanuary 21, 2015
A Q&A with a Ranger on the Front Line of the War with Rhino Poachers
South African poachers continue to use sophisticated methods to dehorn—and kill—rhinos while rangers are severely hampered in combatting the practice
The SciencesDecember 1, 2014
Crying Baby Mammals All Sound the Same to Mama
Distress calls of infant mammals are strikingly similar
The SciencesNovember 1, 2014
Which Direction Home?
Mom and dad can give some migrating birds mixed signals about how to get home
The SciencesOctober 1, 2014
Know the Jargon: “Human Shield Effect”
Animals aren’t as vigilant for predators when they know humans are around
Mind & BrainSeptember 22, 2014
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.
Mind & BrainSeptember 1, 2014
Western Scrub Jays Are Capable of Metacognition
Evidence suggests that humans are not the only animals that can think about thinking
EvolutionJuly 15, 2014
Killing Big Animals Allows Rodents (and Their Fleas) to Flourish
Conservation may be important for human health
The SciencesJuly 1, 2014
Squawking Birds Give Away Their Nest Sizes
How to count seabirds on islands using sound
The SciencesJune 1, 2014
Bees Living in Cities Are Building Their Homes with Plastic
It’s the first documentation of insects incorporating plastic trash into nests