animals – Page 19 – The Loh Down On Science

Pessimistic Pups

March 12, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Are dogs optimists or pessimists? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: It depends on the dog. Animal scientists think the way dogs respond to cues can indicate whether they expect good or bad outcomes. In other words, whether they are natural optimists or pessimists!

Monkey Money

March 2, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Who’s more sensible? Humans? Or Monkeys? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Meet Yale psychologist Laurie Santos. She researches human buying habits by having monkeys barter for treats. She says Capuchin monkeys understand economics. She gives them tokens—monkey money! Her monkeys are trained to exchange

Critter Cleanup

February 22, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Shall we talk dirty . . . about animal hair? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Meet Guillermo Amador and David Hu, of Georgia Tech. They studied twenty-seven different mammals and insects to see how each maintains a suave appearance. First, the duo calculated the

Howling Mad

February 19, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Hey, guys: You can be large or you can be loud. This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and a trade-off that makes monkeys howl. Howler monkeys, that is. They’re native to Central and South American forests. And they’re known for their loud calls, which carry

Monkey Movies

February 6, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Do apes go bananas over scary movies? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Have you ever re-watched old movies and cringed, anticipating the scary parts? Psychologists from Japan’s Kyoto University wondered if apes also get the creeps. Apes are known for their long term memories.

Canine Conundrum

January 31, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Who’s smarter? Man’s best friend? Or wolves? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Many canine experts say dogs are smarter than wolves. That’s based on studies where researchers gave both animals unsolvable tasks. Like: removing treats from jars. Dogs usually give up. They turn their

Apes in the Kitchen

January 26, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Can you teach a chimp to cook? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: Chimps probably won’t be whipping up souffles anytime soon. But there is evidence they might want to. Meet Alexandra Rosati and Felix Warneken of Harvard University. They’ve been conducting some intriguing

Starfish Wars

January 12, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Where’s the Terminator when you really need him? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and an ecosystem under attack. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is truly a wonder of the natural world. But it faces a dangerous interloper: The Crown of Thorns starfish, or “COT” for

Super-Ants

January 10, 2018 Bela Abolfathi

Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a… SUPER…ANT? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. To bugs, trees spell one thing: FOOD! Caterpillars and grasshoppers are connoisseurs of the leafy species. But is there a bright side to trees having

Animal IQ

January 3, 2018 Jie Zheng

Dogs, and cats, and…bears? Who’s the smartest? Care to take a bet? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Suzana Herculano-Houzel, a neuroscientist from Vanderbilt University, hosted, if you will, a battle of wits. She believes that smarter creatures should have more neurons within their cerebral