Animal Learning and Intelligence News

January 16, 2016

Dogs Can Recognize Human Emotions

Elephants May Use Trunks Like 'Leaf Blowers'

Strong Evidence of Social Learning in Crows

Dogs Process Faces in Specialized Brain Area

Latest Headlines

updated 9:21pm EST

Is Evolution More Intelligent Than We Thought?

Dec. 18, 2015 — Evolution may be more intelligent than we thought, according to researchers. In a new article, the authors make the case that evolution is able to learn from previous experience, which could provide ... read more

Gene Controls Stress Hormone Production in Macaques

Dec. 18, 2015 — Some people react more calmly in stressful situations than others. Certain genes, such as the so-called COMT gene, are thought to play a role in determining our stress ... read more

Citizen Scientists Contribute to Dog Research

Sep. 16, 2015 — Five hundred citizen scientists around the world have contributed data to a study of what goes on inside the minds of their dogs. On five of the seven tests analyzed, citizen ... read more

Stress 'Sweet Spot' Differs for Mellow Vs. Hyper Dogs

July 21, 2015 — People aren't the only ones who perform better on tests or athletic events when they are just a little bit nervous -- dogs do too. But in dogs as in people, the right amount of stress depends on ... read more

You Need This Hole in the Head -- To Be Smart

July 15, 2015 — Researchers have shown that intelligence in animal species can be estimated by the size of the holes in the skull through which the arteries ... read more

Grey Squirrels Are Quick Learners, Study Shows

July 6, 2015 — They may be viewed by some as an invasive species or a commonplace pest of public parks, but a new study has shown that grey squirrels are actually quick learners capable of ... read more

Do Insect Societies Share Brain Power?

June 16, 2015 — The cooperative or integrative aspects of insect colonies, such as information sharing among colony mates, can reduce the need for individual cognition in these societies, a ... read more

Crows Count on 'Number Neurons'

June 8, 2015 — Neurobiologists have discovered cells in the crow brain that respond to a specific number of items. The study provides valuable insights into the biological roots of counting ... read more

Barking Characterizes Dogs as Voice Characterizes People

May 28, 2015 — Research on canine behavior shows that gender, age, context and individual recognition can be identified with a high percentage of success through statistical and computational methods of pattern ... read more

Clever Snail? Animals, Like Humans, Excel at Some Tasks but Not Others

May 27, 2015 — Animals, like humans, excel at some tasks but not others. Researchers used pond snails to investigate learning and memory. They found that if an individual is good at forming ... read more

Rare Footage of Asian Elephants

Ringling Circus Elephants to Retire in May

Raw: Elephants Munch On Old Christmas Trees

Algae May Be To Blame For Memory Loss In Sea Lions

Cannabis Consumers Show Greater Susceptibility to False Memories

Apr. 21, 2015 — Consumers of cannabis are more prone to experiencing false memories. One of the known consequences of consuming this drug is the memory problems it can cause. Chronic consumers show more difficulties ... read more

Sniffing Safer: New Canine Training Aid Matches Explosives' Scent but Doesn't Explode

Apr. 1, 2015 — One of the biggest challenges in the training and testing of canine teams results from the explosives materials themselves - especially new homemade explosives. A new training aid has been created ... read more

Scientists Crack Piece of Neural Code for Learning, Memory

Mar. 2, 2015 — Researchers describe how postmortem brain slices can be 'read' to determine how a rat was trained to behave in response to specific sounds, a new article suggests. The work provides one of ... read more

Being Better Problem Solvers Helps Mountain Chickadees Survive at Higher Altitudes

Feb. 25, 2015 — Being better problem solvers helps mountain chickadees survive at higher altitudes. Living on harsh, unforgiving icy mountains can make one mentally sharper, and this applies to birds as well. ... read more

Pigeon Power: Study Suggests Similarity Between How Pigeons Learn the Equivalent of Words and the Way Children Do

Feb. 4, 2015 — A new study finds pigeons can categorize 128 photographs into 16 categories of natural and humanmade objects, a skill researchers say is similar to the mechanism children use to learn ... read more

Dog-Human Cooperation Is Based on Social Skills of Wolves, Scientists Show

Jan. 20, 2015 — Dogs are 'man's best friend.' The origins of this dog-human relationship were subject of a study by behavioral scientists. They showed that the ancestors of dogs, the wolves, are at ... read more

Monkeys Can Learn to See Themselves in the Mirror

Jan. 8, 2015 — Unlike humans and great apes, rhesus monkeys don't realize when they look in a mirror that it is their own face looking back at them. But, according to a new report, that doesn't mean they ... read more

In One Aspect of Vision, Computers Catch Up to Primate Brain

Dec. 18, 2014 — For decades, neuroscientists have been trying to design computer networks that can mimic visual skills such as recognizing objects, which the human brain does very accurately and quickly. Until now, ... read more

No 'Bird Brains'? Crows Exhibit Advanced Relational Thinking, Study Suggests

Dec. 18, 2014 — Crows have the brain power to solve higher-order, relational-matching tasks, and they can do so spontaneously, according to new research. That means crows join humans, apes and monkeys in exhibiting ... read more

Show Us How You Play and It May Tell Us Who You Are

Dec. 15, 2014 — The way in which toys are handled and combined with one another during object play can tell use a lot about the cognitive underpinnings of the actors. An international team of scientists studied ... read more

Mimics Do Not Substitute for the 'Real Thing' for Bomb-Sniffing Dogs

Nov. 24, 2014 — Canines trained on pseudo-explosives could not reliably identify the genuine article (and vice versa). When it comes to teaching dogs how to sniff out explosives, there’s nothing quite like the ... read more

Spice Up Your Memory: Just One Gram of Turmeric a Day Could Boost Memory

Nov. 18, 2014 — Adding just one gram of turmeric to breakfast could help improve the memory of people who are in the very early stages of diabetes and at risk of cognitive ... read more

In a Battle of Brains, Bigger Isn't Always Better: Rats and Mice Perform Similarly in Cognitive Tests

Oct. 8, 2014 — It's one of those ideas that seems to make perfect sense: the bigger the brain, the more intelligent the creature. Exceptions are becoming increasingly common, yet the belief persists even among ... read more

Unexpectedly Speedy Expansion of Human, Ape Cerebellum

Oct. 2, 2014 — A new study could rewrite the story of ape and human brain evolution. While the neocortex of the brain has been called 'the crowning achievement of evolution and the biological substrate of ... read more

First Evidence That Reptiles Can Learn Through Imitation

Sep. 30, 2014 — New research has for the first time provided evidence that reptiles could be capable of social learning through imitation. The ability to acquire new skills through the ‘true imitation’ of ... read more

Dogs Respond to Goal-Directed Behavior at Similar Level to Infants

Sep. 17, 2014 — Dogs look at a person interacting with a new object longer than a person interacting with a familiar object moved to a different location, suggesting perception of goal-directed behavior, according ... read more

Being Social: Learning from the Behavior of Birds

Sep. 17, 2014 — Science has learned a great deal about complex social behavior by studying nonhuman mammals and primates, but parrots might have something to teach too. A new study -- the first to quantify the ... read more

Electronic Training Collars Present Welfare Risk to Pet Dogs

Sep. 8, 2014 — The results of a recent study have revealed that the immediate effects of training pet dogs with an electronic collar cause behavioural signs of distress, particularly when used at high ... read more

The Evolutionary Roots of Human Altruism

Aug. 27, 2014 — Scientists have long been searching for the factor that determines why humans often behave so selflessly. It was known that humans share this tendency with species of small Latin American primates of ... read more

Tortoises Master Touchscreen Technology

Aug. 6, 2014 — Tortoises have learned how to use touchscreens as part of a study which aimed to teach the animals navigational techniques. The brain structure of reptiles is very different to that of mammals, which ... read more

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Cannabis consumers show greater susceptibility to false memories

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Sniffing safer: New canine training aid matches explosives' scent but doesn't explode

Monday, March 2, 2015

Scientists crack piece of neural code for learning, memory

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Being better problem solvers helps mountain chickadees survive at higher altitudes

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Pigeon power: Study suggests similarity between how pigeons learn the equivalent of words and the way children do

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Dog-human cooperation is based on social skills of wolves, scientists show

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Monkeys can learn to see themselves in the mirror

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Monday, December 15, 2014

Show us how you play and it may tell us who you are

Monday, November 24, 2014

Mimics do not substitute for the 'real thing' for bomb-sniffing dogs

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Spice up your memory: Just one gram of turmeric a day could boost memory

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

In a battle of brains, bigger isn't always better: Rats and mice perform similarly in cognitive tests

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Unexpectedly speedy expansion of human, ape cerebellum

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

First evidence that reptiles can learn through imitation

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Monday, September 8, 2014

Electronic training collars present welfare risk to pet dogs

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

The evolutionary roots of human altruism

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Tortoises master touchscreen technology

Monday, August 4, 2014

Eating baked, broiled fish weekly boosts brain health, study says

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Smarter than a first-grader? Crows can perform as well as 7- to 10-year-olds on cause-and-effect water displacement tasks

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Fish oil supplements reduce incidence of cognitive decline, may improve memory function

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Chimp intelligence 'runs in families,' environment less important

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Insect diet helped early humans build bigger brains: Quest for elusive bugs spurred primate tool use, problem-solving skills

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Crows' memories are made of this: Scientists discover neurons allowing crows to remember short-term

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Fruit flies show mark of intelligence in thinking before they act, study suggests

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Brain size matters when it comes to animal self-control

Monday, April 14, 2014

Neuroscientists: Brain activity may mark beginning of memories

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Pigeons share our ability to place everyday things in categories

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Crows understand water displacement at the level of a small child: Show causal understanding of a 5- to 7-year-old child

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Scent of the familiar: You may linger like perfume in your dog's brain

Thursday, March 13, 2014

We must forget to avoid serious mental disorders, and forgetting is actively regulated

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Personality predicts social learning in wild monkeys: Bold or anxious baboons learn to solve tasks from other baboons

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Doggy agility: are emotions thwarting performance?

Sunday, March 2, 2014

First glimpse of brain circuit that helps experience to shape perception

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Study reveals how dogs detect explosives, offers new training recommendations

Friday, February 21, 2014

Fruit-loving lemurs score higher on spatial memory tests

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Asian elephants reassure others in distress: First empirical evidence of consolation in elephants

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Great tit can remember other birds' food hideaways for up to 24 hours

Friday, January 31, 2014

Teaching young wolves new tricks: Wolves are considerably better imitators than dogs

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

The brain's RAM: Rats, like humans, have a 'working memory'

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Dogs recognize familiar faces from images

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Multi-dog study points to canine brain's reward center

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Crows are no bird-brains: Neurobiologists investigate neuronal basis of crows' intelligence

Friday, November 15, 2013

Can certain herbs stave off Alzheimer's disease?

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Super song learners: Mechanism for improving song learning in juvenile zebra finches uncovered

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Elephants know what it means to point to something, no training required

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Primate brains follow predictable developmental pattern

Monday, September 23, 2013

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

New evidence that orangutans and gorillas can match images based on biological categories

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Discovery helps to unlock brain's speech-learning mechanism

Monday, September 2, 2013

Primate calls, like human speech, can help infants form categories

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Improving dogs' ability to detect explosives

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Bird brain? Birds and humans have similar brain wiring

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Dogs imitate novel human actions and store them in memory

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Friday, June 14, 2013

Helping pet owners make tough choices

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Pigeons peck for computerized treat

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Bird's playlist could signal mental strengths and weaknesses

Monday, May 13, 2013

Brain frontal lobes not sole center of human intelligence, comparative research suggests

Thursday, March 28, 2013

In solving social dilemmas, vervet monkeys get by with a little patience

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Dog spots the dog: Dogs recognize the dog species among several other species on a computer screen

Monday, January 7, 2013

Captive hyenas outfox wild relatives

Monday, December 3, 2012

Iron deficiency and cognitive development: New insights from piglets

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Origin of intelligence and mental illness linked to ancient genetic accident

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Seeing the world through the eyes of an orangutan

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Puppies don't pick up on yawns: Dogs, like humans, show a gradual development of susceptibility to contagious yawning

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Crows don't digest prions, may transport them to other locations

Monday, October 15, 2012

Evolution mostly driven by brawn, not brains, analysis finds

Monday, October 1, 2012

'Green Brain' project to create an autonomous flying robot with a honey bee brain

Monday, September 24, 2012

Ants share decision-making, lessen vulnerability to 'information overload'

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Crows react to threats in human-like way

Monday, August 13, 2012

Consuming flavanol-rich cocoa may enhance brain function

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Frog calls inspire a new algorithm for wireless networks

Friday, June 22, 2012

Birds can recognize people's faces and know their voices

Monday, June 4, 2012

Little cognitive benefit from soy supplements for older women

Friday, May 4, 2012

What is your dog thinking? Brain scans unleash canine secrets

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Rats recall past to make daily decisions

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Dolphins cultivate loose alliances

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Do animals have reflective minds able to self-regulate perception, reasoning, memory?

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Extended synaptic development may explain our cognitive edge over other primates

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Sea snails help scientists explore a possible way to enhance memory

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Eating fish reduces risk of Alzheimer's disease, study finds

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

'Look at that!' Ravens gesture with their beaks to point out objects to each other

Monday, September 19, 2011

Size matters: Length of songbirds’ playlists linked to brain region proportions

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Brainy lizards pass test for birds

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Rhesus monkeys appear to have a form of self-awareness not previously attributed to them, research suggests

Monday, June 20, 2011

One skull + two brains = four objects in mind

Friday, June 10, 2011

Clever tool use in parrots and crows

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Canine connection: Study explores how dogs think and learn about human behavior

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Border collie comprehends over 1,000 object names as verbal referents

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Coffee and a sweet treat to think better? Caffeine and glucose combined improves the efficiency of brain activity

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Great apes might be misunderstood

Monday, August 2, 2010

Breeding is changing dog brains, scientists find

Monday, June 28, 2010

Piglets open doors to study infant brain development