Articles for category: Animal Behavior, Biology & Genetics

Number Eight Medina Spirit leads at Kentucky Derby.

How the Kentucky Derby Sparked Advances in Equine Genetics

Trizzy Orozco

Every spring, as the sun paints Churchill Downs in golden hues and the crowd’s roar reaches a fever pitch, the Kentucky Derby isn’t just a race—it’s a living experiment in genetics. Behind the thundering hooves and the flash of silks lies a tale of scientific discovery that has quietly revolutionized the way we understand the ...

Octopuses Throw Things When They’re Annoyed (Even at Each Other)

Octopuses Throw Things When They’re Annoyed (Even at Each Other)

Annette Uy

Have you ever imagined a creature from the depths of the ocean hurling shells or silt—almost like a grumpy child tossing toys across the room? Believe it or not, octopuses are doing just that. In the mysterious world beneath the waves, these eight-armed wonders show surprising behaviors that challenge what we think we know about ...

What To Do If You Come Across An Alligator in Florida

What To Do If You Come Across An Alligator in Florida

Sameen David

You do not really feel how wild Florida is until you suddenly notice a pair of eyes and a long, ridged back just breaking the surface of the water. In that moment, your heart jumps, your brain scrambles, and all the TV survival tips you have ever heard turn to mush. The truth is, you ...

What the cougar symbolizes as a Native American spirit animal

What the cougar symbolizes as a Native American spirit animal

Sameen David

If you have ever locked eyes with a big cat, even just through a screen, you know the strange mix of awe and unease it brings. The cougar, also called mountain lion, puma, or panther, carries that same electric feeling into the spiritual world of many Native American traditions. It is not a gentle house ...

MacRitchie’s Monkeys: Living With Wildlife in the Heart of a High-Tech City

MacRitchie’s Monkeys: Living With Wildlife in the Heart of a High-Tech City

Annette Uy

It’s a startling sight—one moment you’re walking through the shaded trails of MacRitchie Reservoir Park, and the next, a troop of macaques swings down from the trees, their eyes gleaming with curiosity. In a city famed for its sleek skyscrapers and relentless drive toward innovation, the presence of wild monkeys seems almost surreal. Yet, here ...

A dog with collar sniffing

Dogs Can Sense Human Emotions Through Smell Alone

Imagine walking through your front door after a long, stressful day, only to have your dog greet you with a gentle nuzzle, a wagging tail, or perhaps a quiet, comforting presence by your side. It’s as if your dog knows exactly how you feel—without a word spoken. The idea that dogs can sense human emotions ...

Tools and Techniques

Pufferfish Mandalas: How One Fish Builds Geometric Art in the Sand

Trizzy Orozco

In the vast blue expanse of the ocean, where life often seems chaotic and untamed, there exists a tiny artist that defies all expectations. The Japanese white-spotted pufferfish, barely the size of a human hand, creates breathtaking works of geometric art on the sandy sea floor—masterpieces so precise and enchanting that they rival the creations ...