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animal psychology

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 17, 2026·9 min read

Great Apes Shatter Human Models of Social Intelligence

Great ape cognition is highly individualized, dynamic, and structurally distinct from human intelligence.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 16, 2026·10 min read

Chickadees Sneak Around for Brains, Not Just Brawn

Female mountain chickadees within monogamous pairings proactively cheat on their partners with males that exhibit superior spatial intelligence.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 25, 2026·10 min read

Compensator Wasps Proven to Save Colonies from Chaos

Does a society require an orderly, rule-based succession plan to survive a leadership crisis? A new study demonstrates that tropical paper wasp (Polistes canadensis) colonies survive violent, chaotic power struggles thanks to a distinct group of workers known as "compensators".

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 20, 2026·6 min read

New Study Links Crossbreeding to Dog Anxiety

A study of over 9,000 dogs found that Cockapoos, Cavapoos, and Labradoodles frequently display more aggression, fear, and excitability than the purebreds used to create them.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 28, 2025·7 min read

CBD Can Reduce Aggression in Dogs

A massive multi-year analysis of tens of thousands of dogs reveals that CBD use is becoming increasingly common among aging companion animals. While dogs given CBD initially showed higher aggression, their aggression decreased below average levels with long-term use.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·November 25, 2025·7 min read

Genes Behind Dog Behaviors Also Shape Human Emotions

Researchers analyzed the genomes and behavioral profiles of 1,300 golden retrievers and found that several behavioral traits—such as trainability, fear of strangers, and aggression toward other dogs—are shaped by specific genetic variants. Remarkably, a dozen of these same genes also influence emotional and cognitive traits in humans, revealing shared biological roots across species.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 23, 2025·5 min read

AI Reveals Lions Don’t Just Roar, They Have a Second Call

A new study reveals African lions produce two types of roars, overturning long-held assumptions and opening the door to more precise wildlife monitoring. Using machine learning, researchers automatically distinguished between full-throated and newly identified intermediary roars with over 95% accuracy, eliminating much of the human bias in vocal identification.

This shows a dog and toys like balls and ropes.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 19, 2025·5 min read

Dogs Can Classify Objects by Function, Not Just Appearance

A new study demonstrates that some highly gifted dogs can categorize objects not just by appearance, but by how they are used. When taught words like “pull” or “fetch,” these dogs later applied the concepts to brand-new toys through natural play, without training or explicit labeling.

This shows a woman with two french bulldogs.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 5, 2025·6 min read

Do Dog Faces Shape Behavior?

Short-nosed dog breeds like Pugs and French Bulldogs are often perceived as calm, affectionate companions—but their behavior is influenced by more than just head shape. A new study of over 5,000 dogs reveals that small body size, lack of training, and pampering by inexperienced owners contribute to many of their less favorable behaviors.

This shows two people, a dog, and a question mark.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 17, 2025·4 min read

Can Dogs Really Judge Character?

Many dog lovers believe dogs can sense who to trust, but research suggests the reality may be more complex. A study of 40 pet dogs tested whether they form reputations of humans by observing how those humans treated another dog.

This shows Macaque monkeys watching a video on a laptop.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 10, 2025·6 min read

Familiar Faces and Fights: What Monkeys Like to Watch Most

A new study reveals that long-tailed macaques, like humans, are most captivated by videos featuring social conflict and familiar group members. Researchers showed the macaques videos of monkeys engaged in fighting, grooming, running, or sitting, and found they spent the most time watching aggressive encounters.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 12, 2024·6 min read

Do Animals Really Understand Fairness?

New research challenges the idea that animals share humans’ sense of fairness, suggesting their reactions to unequal rewards stem from unmet expectations rather than inequity aversion. In the largest meta-analysis to date, researchers reanalyzed data from 23 studies across 18 species and found no strong evidence of jealousy or fairness aversion in animals.