Animals
Sad or afraid? Dogs may be able to read your face
A new brain-imaging study suggests that dogs may be able to distinguish between certain negative human emotions just by looking at people’s faces.
By Meghan Rosen
Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
More Stories in Life
- Animals
Emperor penguin chicks like these starved. An iceberg may be the cause
An emperor penguin colony in Antarctica saw a massive decline in chicks in 2025. The contours of a nearby grounded iceberg may have been the cause.
- Animals
Naked mole-rat queens rule their colonies with a potent odor
A compound made only by breeding queens keeps naked mole-rat colonies infertile and free of conflict.
- Animals
‘Cheating’ birds change their tune
Female pied flycatchers can tell whether a male is paired or not based on song differences. Mated males sing shorter songs and repeat syllables less.
- Animals
A new monkey species has been found deep in Congo’s forests
A canopy call, a partial photo and DNA revealed a new primate species — one that may already be at risk of extinction.
- Animals
Elephants can relearn how to live wild after years in captivity
Researchers documented behavioral similarities between 11 rehabilitated elephants and their wild counterparts.
- Animals
‘Forever chemicals’ could be aging dolphins beyond their years
Common dolphins in New Zealand are biologically older than their calendar ages. Trace metals and “forever chemicals” may be to blame.
- Animals
Seals’ amphibious hearing developed a long, long time ago
Researchers scanned the ears of hundreds of marine mammals to deduce when pinnipeds evolved to hear well in both air and water.
- Paleontology
Spines of saber-toothed cats tell a tale of the doomed species
Remains pulled from the La Brea Tar Pits revealed deformed vertebrae and rare tumors, possible signs of inbreeding among now-extinct saber-toothed cats.
- Animals
Watch an orca ram into a sunfish so hard it explodes
This strategy expands orcas’ already broad repertoire for dispatching different types of prey.
