When you converse with the latest chatbots, it’s easy to feel like they get you. Their deft responses often give an undeniable impression that they’re aware not only of what you say, but of what you think — what your words imply about your mental state.Theory of MindAmong psychologists, there’s a term for that: theory of mind. This hallmark of social intelligence allows us to infer the inner reality of another person’s mind based on their speech and behavior, as well as our own knowled ...read more

Animal cafes in Japan offer a wide range of experiences; some offer the opportunity to mingle with cats, dogs or other commonly domesticated creatures while enjoying beverages and sometimes food. Others provide hands-on experiences with exotic, and in some cases, endangered or threatened species. Many of these cafes have become Instagram sensations and if you visit one, it’s hard not to be beguiled by the appeal of the adorable creatures. But how safe are they for the animals?Harry’s Zoo Ca ...read more

Cancel culture is largely a product of social media because it allows huge numbers of people to come together to voice their dislike or disapproval of certain people. By “canceling” people, you’re taking away their voice, business and platform. In a sense, “you’re putting out the fuel of their fire,” especially in the public eye, says psychologist Audrey Tang.Cancel CultureIt’s not that cancel culture didn’t exist before social media — series and sitcoms could be canceled as ...read more

“Musth,” an annual ordeal which turns male elephants into oozing, aggressive pachyderms, appears to have also affected male mammoths that lived thousands of years ago, according to a new study.Researchers from the University of Michigan led a team that procured a male mammoth tusk first discovered by a diamond-mining company in Siberia in 2007. From this massive tooth, they would detect ancient testosterone levels using a novel method.[embedded content]How to Detect Mammoth TestosteroneFirst ...read more

Our sense of smell and taste has played a vital role in human evolution. To this day, we rely on these two senses to help us identify proper foods to eat and recognize potential dangers like fires or gas leaks. A deficit in these senses can negatively impact our lives. And while preventing the impairment or loss of these senses is not always possible, we can often use methods to improve them. The most common related disorders are: Ageusia: The loss of sense of taste.Anosmia: The loss of sens ...read more

In a lab mouse version of The Truman Show, researchers from Harvard Medical School constructed a little world for a new paper. An eight-inch-wide platform raised 20 inches off the ground stood at the center, covered in mouse bedding. All around curved a tall LED screen, blank until a white, disorienting stripe flashed to one side or the other.The researchers were looking for head direction cells in the mouse, which act as an inner compass in the brains of humans, insects, animals and fish. While ...read more

In the animal kingdom, the general rule is the larger you are the longer you live. Elephants and whales are some of the longest living groups of animals on the planet, and they are respectively the largest organisms on land and in the ocean. Conversely, mice, and other rodents tend to experience much shorter lifespans. However, one strange counterexample is the contrast in lifespan among different sized dog breeds. It is well-known that large dogs don’t live as long as their smaller relatives. ...read more

[embedded content]On Aug. 16, 2020, a lightning strike sparked a wildfire at Cima Dome in the Mojave Desert and burned about 1.3 million Joshua trees, leaving behind a standing graveyard of the iconic trees. “They take hundreds of years to get to the size that they are,” says Bri Montoro, a project manager with the Nevada Conservation Corps, in the video. “Seeing them burnt is beautiful and devastating.”Drew Kaiser, a botanist with the Mojave National Preserve, watched the habitat burn i ...read more

When actor Bruce Willis was diagnosed with aphasia in the spring of 2022, it ignited interest in what exactly the condition is and how it affects those who have it. While Willis later received a more specific diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia in February of this year, the two conditions are closely linked.Primary Progressive AphasiaIn general, aphasia is classified as a neurogenic language disorder that causes a loss of language — both the ability to produce language and the ability to unde ...read more

Chytridiomycosis, the most destructive disease to ever affect vertebrates, moves swiftly. As a doomsday disease affecting amphibians, it often begins when a microscopic zoospore propelled by a squiggly flagellum tail collides with the skin of a frog. From there, it penetrates the tissue and through a complex process widens the infection and produces new zoospores.The disease tends to affect the keratin-producing skin in the frog’s groin and legs and throws off the amphibian’s normal regulati ...read more