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Rats show empathy, according to model

A rat first frees a cagemate rat and then shares food with it. Is this animal just as empathetic as humans? In an American study from 2011, researchers observed that rats first freed their fellow rats from a cage and then ...

Yellow mealworms mapped anatomically for the first time

The dried larvae of the yellow mealworm beetle (Tenebrio molitor) are comparable to beef or poultry in nutritional value, but the mealworm has a far smaller ecological footprint. It was recently approved for human consumption ...

Australia detects first case of contagious H5 bird flu

Scientists have detected the H5 strain of bird flu in Australia for the first time, the country's agriculture minister said Saturday, meaning the highly contagious variant has now spread to every continent.

How H5N1 bird flu hid unrecognized for weeks in dairy cattle

When H5N1 bird flu first began infecting U.S. cattle in early 2024, diagnosis was elusive because, in cows, the disease looked completely different. Instead of affecting the lungs, as H5N1 does in other mammalian species, ...

Only 10 viral particles cause H5N1 avian flu infection in cows

Just 10 viral particles of the H5N1 bird flu that caused hundreds of influenza outbreaks in U.S. dairy cattle can cause infection in cows, a new study shows. The research also hints at why the outbreaks have confounded scientists, ...

Dogs and humans are more alike than we thought, study finds

The same biological signals that help predict lifespan in humans also appear in dogs, according to new research from the Dog Aging Project—a finding that could help scientists better understand aging in both species.

More news

Plants & Animals
How you can stop your cat from bringing home unwelcome pathogens
Veterinary medicine
Horse owners' personality and attachment style shape how they interact with and care for their horses
Ecology
Silent prions reveal new cross-species chronic wasting disease risk in lab tests
Plants & Animals
Is your dog a lefty? New 'Doginburgh' test captures paw preference
Ecology
Pathogenic fungus transmitted by domestic cat scratches is present in wild animals
Veterinary medicine
Dogs uncover invasive pests that experts missed in real-world vineyard tests
Plants & Animals
These horses are unaffected by petting in children's zoo, heart rate monitors reveal
Evolution
Dogs respond to human tone without words, hinting at communication older than language
Veterinary medicine
Predictive model could help track deadly viruses back to their source
Molecular & Computational biology
Antibiotic resistance turns up in Australian horses, raising new concerns about animal and human infections
Ecology
Feral horse numbers in Australia's Alps are on the rise again: It's time to act
Veterinary medicine
Ammonia levels in urine could serve as marker for chronic kidney disease in dogs
Veterinary medicine
Dog breeding inspectors need clearer guidance on rules protecting dog health and welfare—new report
Ecology
Expanded susceptibility and transmission in circulating avian influenza viruses reshape wild bird mortality
Plants & Animals
Reading brachycephalic dogs' facial expressions requires extra cognitive processing by humans
Ecology
Rattlesnakes among most vulnerable to fungal disease and parasitic lung infection
Cell & Microbiology
Dog daycare leptospirosis outbreak in Los Angeles reveals broader public health risks
Veterinary medicine
Thousands of sheep and cows die in trucks and saleyards every year. They need better protection
Plants & Animals
If you need to anesthetize a butterfly, here's the best way to do it
Ecology
Norway reports Europe's first case of bird flu in a polar bear

Other news

Agriculture
Global warming, increasing wildfire risk threaten viability of some California winery regions
Space Exploration
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft wakes from its longest hibernation in good health
Plants & Animals
Migratory birds may carry fewer parasites between islands than expected, DNA shows
Polymers
Saturn-ring-like laser emission from chiral polymeric microspheres
Condensed Matter
Evidence of elusive high-energy gravitons in quantum Hall systems
Astrobiology
Baseline tool could separate alien life signals from geology on ocean worlds
Ecology
Where rivers face collapse: New tool shows where conservation dollars can do most good
Astrobiology
Much of Earth's 'space dust' may come from unidentified near-Earth asteroids
Condensed Matter
Metallic rutile oxides break the rules of cooling
Earth Sciences
Satellite record reveals US tidal wetland productivity rose 6% in 20 years
Astronomy
JWST finds the most distant barred galaxy candidate in the early universe
Other
How approaching sounds can warp your perception of time
Quantum Physics
Quantum computers model nine fusion fuel material configurations for first time
Nanophysics
Steering light in a flash: New chip redirects light beams in less than a trillionth of a second
Condensed Matter
Magnetic octupole model captures domain-wall motion in noncollinear antiferromagnets
Astronomy
'Cosmic wallflowers' may hold the key to the origin of globular clusters
Analytical Chemistry
AI framework could speed battery, combustion and materials research by automating simulations
General Physics
Scientists just measured the smallest possible contacts for future computer chips
Earth Sciences
Day-night ocean warming helps explain why El Niño outpaces La Niña in models
Archaeology
Medieval text family trees suggest 60% of works vanished over centuries

Silver vine or catnip? When cats can choose, silver vine wins

What plant do cats love most? In Europe and North America, many people would probably answer "catnip." In Japan, the answer would more likely be silver vine (matatabi in Japanese). Both plants are famous for triggering the ...

Genomic analysis predicts guide dog success

Guide dogs help thousands of people with visual disabilities navigate daily life. While guide dogs provide tremendous benefits, the current training program faces serious inefficiencies, since a large percentage never actually ...

Study finds more than 84% of dogs show signs of fear, anxiety

A dog trembling during a thunderstorm or backing away from a stranger may seem like an isolated reaction—yet new research suggests these moments are far from rare. In fact, the majority of dogs may experience some level of ...

Pet loss is difficult for people—what about for other pets?

I recently lost one of my cocker spaniels, Bobbi. She was fit, healthy and active, but had a catastrophic diagnosis of oral melanoma two months before I had to make the decision that anyone with deeply loved pets dreads.