Behavioral Science News

March 2, 2025

Top Headlines

Drone Captures Narwhals Using Their Tusks to Explore, Forage and Play

Feb. 28, 2025 — Using drones, 17 distinct behaviors of narwhals were captured in the wild. Findings reveal complex behaviors of the Arctic's iconic whale never seen before. This highly gregarious whale uses its tusk to investigate, manipulate and influence the ...

When the Wild Things Are: Surprising Details of Mammalian Daily Activity

Feb. 26, 2025 — A team has gathered photographic data on daily mammalian activity, studying 445 total species around the world with surprising results. The project generated a massive dataset of animal images examining species' diel phenotype plasticity, an ...

Feeding Anemone: Symbiote Fish Actively Feed Hosts in Wild

Feb. 26, 2025 — A research team observing anemonefish in the field found they engage in interesting feeding behavior with their host sea ...

Some Animals Cooperate With Members of Other Species

Feb. 25, 2025 — Some animals are capable of cooperating with members of other species. An interdisciplinary team explores the cognitive underpinnings of such cross-species collaborations, opening up a new perspective on the evolution of intelligence and cooperation ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:15pm EST

How Young Salmon Navigate a Gauntlet of Danger En Route to the Sea

Feb. 24, 2025 — New research uncovers the survival strategy juvenile Chinook salmon adopt to migrate to the ocean, providing insight on how to conserve the threatened ...

AI Unlocks the Emotional Language of Animals

Feb. 21, 2025 — Groundbreaking study shows machine learning can decode emotions in seven ungulate species. A game-changer for animal welfare? Can artificial intelligence help us understand what animals feel? A ...

Predator Robots Help Researchers Uncover How Larval Zebrafish Rapidly Learn

Feb. 20, 2025 — A novel system that chases larval zebrafish around an arena with predator robots is enabling scientists to understand how these days-old fish quickly learn in the real ...

Researchers Outline New Approach for Better Understanding Animal Consciousness

Feb. 20, 2025 — A team of researchers has outlined a new approach for better understanding the depths of animal consciousness, a method that may yield new insights ...

How the Brain Balances Risk and Reward in Making Decisions

Feb. 19, 2025 — Research in mice identifies brain circuitry that supports certain reward-based ...

Worm Study Shows Hyperactivated Neurons Cause Aging-Related Behavioral Decline

Feb. 13, 2025 — Researchers found that excessively activated neurons over time, rather than decreased neuronal activity, cause aging-related decline in brain ...

Wild Fish Can Recognize Individual Divers

Feb. 18, 2025 — For years, scientific divers at a research station in the Mediterranean Sea had a problem: at some point in every field season, local fish would follow them and steal food intended as experimental ...

Sweet Molasses Feed Key to Understanding Grazing Behavior in Cattle

Feb. 18, 2025 — Researchers tempted grazing cattle with sweet molasses feed to discover whether cows would roam far to graze or stick close to the herd, water supplies and feed ...

Even After Learning the Right Idea, Humans and Animals Still Seem to Test Other Approaches, Study Suggests

Feb. 18, 2025 — New research adds evidence that learning a successful strategy for approaching a task doesn't prevent further exploration, even if it reduces ...

Researchers Discover How Opsin 3, a Light-Sensitive Brain Protein, Regulates Food Consumption in Mice

Feb. 14, 2025 — Scientists discovered years ago that the hypothalamus -- which helps to manage body temperature, hunger, sex drive, sleep and more -- includes ...

How Fruit Flies Flit Between Courtship and Aggression to Fight for Mates

Feb. 13, 2025 — Male fruit flies don't just sing to their mates; they also use sound-cancelling wing-flicks to jockey with rivals. This new understanding of how male flies compete for female partners could shed ...

Nighthawks: Wild Medaka Actively Court Female Fish in Wee Hours

Feb. 12, 2025 — esearch team finds wild medaka engage in surprisingly active nocturnal behavior in their natural river ...

Study Examines Grief of Zoo Employees and Volunteers Across the US After Animal Losses

Feb. 12, 2025 — A collaboration of researchers surveyed zoo employees and volunteers across the US about their experiences of burnout and grief related to zoo animal ...

Follow the Fish's Gaze

Feb. 10, 2025 — In swarm research, a new method makes it possible to track the eye movements of fish automatically, non-invasively and in 3D. Researchers explain why this is important for understanding the ...

Some Species of Baleen Whales Avoid Attracting Killer Whales by Singing Too Low to Be Heard

Feb. 6, 2025 — New research finds some baleen whale species call at such deep frequencies that they're completely undetectable by killer whales, which cannot hear sounds below 100 hertz. These also tend to be ...

Scientists Discover Brain Mechanism That Helps Us Overcome Fear

Feb. 6, 2025 — Researchers have unveiled the precise brain mechanisms that enable animals to overcome instinctive fears. The study in mice could have implications for developing therapeutics for fear-related ...

Scientists Reveal Gut Microbes' Hidden Role in Anxiety: Could Probiotics Be the Next Mental Health Breakthrough?

Feb. 5, 2025 — Could the key to easing anxiety be hidden in our gut? Scientists have discovered a crucial connection between gut microbes and anxiety-related behavior. Their research suggests that microbial ...

Revealing Underwater Secrets With New Technique

Feb. 3, 2025 — Scientists are hoping a new research technique will help unlock underwater secrets of marine ...

Fighting Experience Plays Key Role in Brain Chemical's Control of Male Aggression

Jan. 22, 2025 — Like humans, mice will compete over territory and mates, and show increased confidence in their fighting skills the more they win. At first, a brain chemical called dopamine is essential for young ...

In Chimpanzees, Peeing Is Contagious

Jan. 20, 2025 — A new study has described a phenomenon researchers refer to as 'contagious urinations.' The study in 20 captive chimpanzees living at the Kumamoto Sanctuary in Japan shows that, when one ...

Songbirds Socialize on the Wing During Migration

Jan. 15, 2025 — Evidence from over 18,300 hours of recorded flight calls suggests songbirds may 'talk' to other species as they migrate, forming social connections and -- just maybe -- exchanging ...

Detecting Hidden Genetic Relationships in Animal Populations

Jan. 15, 2025 — Understanding biological relationships is often critical when studying animal populations. Researchers have now developed a transformative approach that identifies stretches of DNA that two ...

How Crickets Co-Exist With Hostile Ant Hosts

Jan. 15, 2025 — Researchers have identified the behavioral strategies that parasitic cricket species employ to infiltrate and inhabit host ant colonies. Their research demonstrates that these crickets use ...

Rats Anticipate Location of Food-Guarding Robots When Foraging

Jan. 14, 2025 — Researchers find that rats create neurological maps of places to avoid after experiencing a threat and think about these locations when exhibiting worry-related behaviors. These findings may provide ...

Polygamy Is (Not) for the Birds

Jan. 13, 2025 — Researchers have uncovered new insights into the evolution of bird behavior, revealing why certain mating systems persist while others disappear over ...

High Levels of Disordered Eating Among Young People Linked to Brain Differences

Jan. 10, 2025 — More than half of 23-year-olds in a European study show restrictive, emotional or uncontrolled eating behaviors, according to new research. Structural brain differences appear to play a role in the ...

Evolutionary Biology: Ants Can Hold a Grudge

Jan. 8, 2025 — Evolutionary biologists are investigating the extent to which ants learn from past experiences. After being attacked by ants from a particular nest, ants behave more aggressively towards others from ...

New AI Predicts Inner Workings of Cells

Jan. 8, 2025 — In the same way that ChatGPT understands human language, a new AI model developed by computational biologists captures the language of cells to accurately predict their ...

Tiny Microbe Colonies Communicate to Coordinate Their Behavior

Jan. 8, 2025 — A new study reveals evidence of electrical signaling and coordinated behavior in choanoflagellates, the closest living relatives of animals. This elaborate example of cell communication offers key ...

Oldest-Known Evolutionary 'Arms Race'

Jan. 3, 2025 — A new study presents what is believed to be the oldest known example in the fossil record of an evolutionary arms race. These 517-million-year-old predator-prey interactions occurred in the ocean ...