Animals

A high-fat diet and early pesticide exposure affect learning and memory in radically different ways depending on an animal's biological sex and genetic makeup. The findings suggest dietary advice for brain health should be tailored to individual profiles.

Laboratory research reveals that a specialized psychedelic compound drops the motivation to consume cocaine in animal models. The findings suggest that targeting specific serotonin receptors devalues the drug, offering a biological blueprint for future addiction treatments.

Many patients with Alzheimer’s disease lose their sense of smell before experiencing memory loss. New research reveals how poor communication between specific brain regions causes this sensory decline, offering insights that could lead to earlier diagnostic tests.

Mice wearing specialized goggles reveal that the brain’s internal visual networks rewire themselves to match the exact patterns they see in the world. The study shows how visual feedback loops actively learn to predict our surroundings.

When speaking to a strange dog, female owners instinctively raise their vocal pitch to signal friendly intentions. A recent study reveals how familiarity, dog size, and social context shift human speech and facial expressions.

Just like humans, animals might be neurodivergent. New research reveals that dogs and other species exhibit genetic and behavioral signs of conditions like ADHD and autism, which could fundamentally change how we understand and train our pets.

A study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found that pets may enhance human interactions. People smiled more and felt better when a dog or cat was nearby, especially while talking with a friend or romantic partner.

New research suggests feline dementia mirrors human dementia in several key ways.

A new study published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine finds that cats and dogs are being poisoned by illicit fentanyl. The findings suggest the opioid crisis is reaching beyond humans and putting household pets at serious risk.

We often assume pets are a simple solution for loneliness and stress. But research reveals a far more complex picture, questioning for whom an animal companion truly boosts well-being.

Dogs seem more social and submissive than wolves, a difference long attributed to domestication. But a new study suggests another factor is at play: us. Humans interacting with both species were unconsciously warmer to dogs, complicating our understanding of their...

Thousands of years of co-evolution shaped dogs into emotional experts. Evidence suggests they respond to our tone of voice, recognize our facial expressions, and even mirror our stress. This interspecies empathy is reinforced by oxytocin, deepening the human-dog bond.

A new study in Animal Cognition found that pet dogs showed no preference for generous humans over selfish ones, whether they experienced the treatment themselves or observed it toward another dog, raising questions about dogs’ ability to form human reputations.

Your body has two major stress systems. A groundbreaking study now shows that having a dog nearby doesn't just blunt one response—it helps orchestrate both, keeping our biology in an optimal "sweet spot" to better handle life's challenges.

Pets can bring comfort—but for some, the bond may increase emotional distress. New research links anxious pet attachment to poorer mental health.