French bulldogs have soared in popularity, but they and other short-nosed dogs often have serious health problems. New Hampshire could be the first state to put health restrictions on breeders.
The fast food company said it will now use "no antibiotics important to human medicine" beginning in spring of this year. The company first said it would stop using antibiotics in 2014.
Across the animal kingdom, menopause is something of an evolutionary blip. We humans are one of the few animals to experience it. But Sam Ellis, a researcher in animal behavior, argues that this isn't so surprising. "The best way to propagate your genes is to get as many offspring as possible into the next generation," says Ellis. "The best way to do that is almost always to reproduce your whole life."
So how did menopause evolve? The answer may lie in whales. Ellis and his team at the University of Exeter recently published a study in the journal Nature that studies the evolution of menopause in the undersea animals most known for it. What they uncovered may even help explain menopause in humans.
Curious about other animal behavior mysteries? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
The dog popularly known as the Frenchie has held its crown as America's most popular dog breed for the second year in a row, according to the American Kennel Club.
The owner of a 12-foot alligator recently seized by conservation officers is fighting for its return, saying the reptile he has shared a home with is a gentle giant that's no danger to anyone.
Bats and death metal singers have more in common than a love of the dark. A new study has found that some of bats' lower frequency calls appear to use a technique similar to death metal growling.
Charlotte the stingray in a small North Carolina aquarium has been attracting visitors since she got pregnant without a mate. Businesses in Hendersonville are delighted by the influx.
A Georgia family is mystified as to how an alligator got into their home’s fenced-in backyard on St. Simons Island, about an 80-mile drive south from Savannah.
Birds Georgia is looking for coastal volunteers who don’t mind getting up early and aren’t squeamish. Their task will be to walk a predetermined route once a week in downtown Savannah or downtown Brunswick looking for birds that have had a fatal encounter with a building.
Neuroscientist Nathan Sawtell has spent a lot of time studying the electric elephantnose fish. These fish send and decipher weak electric signals, which Sawtell hopes will eventually help neuroscientists better understand how the brain filters sensory information about the outside world. As Sawtell has studied these electric critters, he's had a lingering question: why do they always seem to organize themselves in a particular orientation. At first, he couldn't figure out why, but a new study released this week in Nature may have an answer: the fish are creating an electrical network larger than any field a single fish can muster alone, and providing collective knowledge about potential dangers in the surrounding water.
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Miami-Dade County has accused the operators of the Seaquarium of improperly caring for the grounds and animals. In August, the tourist attraction was under fire after the death of Lolita the orca.
