Feature
Satellites Reveal Illegal Bottom Trawling in Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems
Research suggests this fishing practice releases up to 370 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year.
Research•7 min read
Research
Feature
Feeding Cows Seaweed Can Reduce Methane Emissions, but the Additives Still Come With Plenty of Challenges
There are still hurdles to overcome, but growing the seaweed industry in a state known for lobster could be a win for local fishermen, dairy and cattle operations, and the…
Research•10 min read
Reported
Factory Farm Pollution Can Be Seen From Space, Scientists Say
A new study uses satellite data to document environmental inequities in North Carolina.
Research•6 min read
Reported
Nitrous Oxide, a Potent Greenhouse Gas, Is Spreading From Farms
A new study finds the gas is also coming from polluted water.
Research•6 min read
Explainer
How Good People Do Bad Things to Animals
The psychology of animal abuse at livestock auctions and slaughterhouses.
Research•8 min read
Reported
Fish Farms Kill Billions More Wild Fish Than Previous Estimates, Study Finds
Touted as a more environmentally friendly solution, the reality of fish farms is more harmful.
Research•6 min read
Explainer
Animals Can Work Together, and Here Are a Few Notable Examples
What animal cooperation can teach us about our similarities and differences as species.
Research•8 min read
Reported
Plants and Their Pollinators Are Increasingly Out of Sync
As global temperatures rise and seasons shift, bees and other pollinators are missing critical connections with flowers and crops.
Research•7 min read
Solutions
What Does Noninvasive Wild Animal Research Look Like?
Veganized scent lures and camera traps are two tools scientists can use to minimize human impact on wildlife.
Research•6 min read
Solutions
AI Animal Communication Breakthroughs Could Revolutionize Our Relationship With Animals
Advances in AI are paving the way for two-way communication with animals, with profound ethical implications.
Research•8 min read
Reported
Inside Jane Goodall’s Revolutionary Approach to Animal Research
Our improved understanding of animal behavior is a legacy of Jane Goodall’s work.
Research•5 min read
Solutions
Cars Harm Animals — Could Wildlife Crossings Be a Solution?
Freedom of movement is essential to the survival of species, but cars have disturbed the natural movements of animals. Is there a way to fix it?
Research•11 min read
Reported
New Research on Animal Communication Shows Their Cultures Are Often Complex and Cumulative
Two new studies upend decades of research on the ways animals and insects learn.
Research•7 min read
Explainer
Why We Still Test on Animals, Explained
A fraught regulatory environment and human stubbornness help explain the roadblocks.
Research•15 min read
Explainer
5 Arguments for Zoos, Fact-Checked and Unpacked
Why many of the arguments for zoos need fact-checking and caveats.
Research•9 min read
Explainer
The 11 Most Helpful Animals on Earth (Though It’s Quite a Competition)
So many animals assist humans and the ecosystem. These are arguably some of the most helpful.
Research•11 min read
Explainer
7 Animals With Sex Lives That Make Humans Look Vanilla
If you want proof the animal kingdom is queer, kinky and gender-bending, look no further.
Research•6 min read
Explainer
How Long Cows Live — If They’re Actually Given the Chance
The record for the oldest living cow might surprise you.
Research•9 min read
Reported
The New Science the Plant-Based Industry Needs To Know
New research suggests plant-based burgers need to be more than tasty, cheap and convenient.
Research•9 min read
Reported
Does Animal Personality Research Actually Help Animals?
By weeding out "undesirable" personality traits, farmers could create vast herds of animals with emotions ideal for factory farm life, and death.
Research•8 min read
Reported
You Can Love Farm Animals and Still Run for Office, New Research Shows
A Harvard researcher tested a field of hypothetical candidates and found talking about animal welfare could actually boost voter support.
Research•5 min read
Reported
Is Avian Flu Already Endemic? Here’s What Scientists Know
The "sick bird markets" of Indonesia hold answers for our future with bird flu, a growing body of research suggests.
Research•6 min read
Analysis
How Queer Ecology Disrupts the Study of Animals and Nature
Myriad examples of queer animals exist, from homosexual mountain goats to gender-bending clownfish to asexual snakes.
Research•6 min read
Reported
Avian Flu Is Mutating. How Worried Should We Be?
A new study published in Nature finds genetic changes are making recent outbreaks of avian flu more severe in mammals.
Research•5 min read
Reported
Meet the Economists Trying to Put a Price on Animal Suffering
Farm animal suffering is a hidden cost of cheap meat. Exactly how much is it worth?
Research•10 min read
Reported
In Wake of Animal Testing Scandal, Elon Musk’s Neuralink Nabs FDA Approval
Elon Musk's Neuralink has now earned FDA approval for human trials after a history of two federal probes and 1500 animal deaths.
Research•5 min read
Reported
Antibiotic Resistant Gene Found In Feedlot Water
In a new study, scientists found an antibiotic resistant gene lurking in the bacteria of cattle feedlot water bowls.
Research•4 min read
Reported
‘Eat Less Meat’ Doesn’t Work. Try This Instead.
A new study finds messages that stress civic action and collective evolution resonate better with focus groups.
Research•4 min read
Forest Elephants Are the Ultimate Climate Warriors, According to Science
A new study suggests the way forest elephants eat — specifically which trees they feed on — can play a critical role in climate mitigation.
Research•5 min read
Reported
These Nests Help Penguins Survive Climate Change
Researchers in South Africa developed artificial nests to help protect penguins from extreme heat.
Research•3 min read
Reported
How Pigs Resolve Conflicts, According to Science
A new study shows pigs socialize in similar ways to humans.
Research•4 min read
Reported
What We Still Don’t Get About Bees
"Bees have a richer behavior and life than we would have previously thought.”
Research•6 min read
Reported
Thousands of Cicada-Lovers Emerge to Document Brood X
Cicadas are far from America’s most beloved insect. But this year, thousands of people have joined in a one-of-a-kind research effort to better understand these gentle creatures.
Research•7 min read
Explainer
What Animals Can Teach Us About the World We Share
So much of our lives are oriented towards other humans instead of animals. But learning these facts about animals may help you better understand the world we share.
Research•12 min read
Reported
Human-Cat Relationships Are Complex—Here’s Why
Modern-day cat ownership raises ethical questions with no neat answers. As long as humans continue to keep cats as companions, we should make every effort to enrich their lives as…
Research•7 min read
Reported
Smells Like Trouble: Do Pets Feel Our Stress?
Studies suggest that dogs—and perhaps other companion animals—take on human emotions as their own. The connection implies that human self-care and companion animals' health are closely intertwined.
Research•3 min read
Perspective
Book Review: Why You Eat What You Eat by Rachel Herz
There’s are reasons behind what we eat, whether it’s how much sugar we eat or why we feel so much better eating plants.
Research•5 min read
Perspective
Read This Book: Unsavory Truth
Yet another gem of food science from Marion Nestle—author of Food Politics and What to Eat—Unsavory Truth: How Food Companies Skew the Science of What We Eat (Basic 2018) explores…
Research•1 min read
Perspective
Read This Book: The Tangled Tree
All history books should start like The Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life (Simon & Schuster 2019). David Quammen’s groundbreaking work sweeps across reams of real, scientific data…
Research•1 min read
Perspective
Read This Book: How to Be a Good Creature
Do you ever think about how to be a good citizen of the world? It’s a big question, and not always a fun one to answer. Sometimes it’s easier to…
Research•1 min read
Perspective
Read This Book: The Revolutionary Genius of Plants
Plants are good for us. Of the species we’ve discovered so far, 31,000 can be used for something other than photosynthesis and 18,000 of those have practical, medical applications. Stefano…
Climate•1 min read
Reported
Wait… Bees Can Count?
For centuries, animals’ capacity for human-like behavior went unnoticed. But animals are smarter than we think. Sharks like jazz and bees understand the number zero. Some of the most abstract…
Research•2 min read
Perspective
Read This Book: The Secret Life of Cows
Did you know that cows can express social preferences? For some people, that’s as easy as saying cows have spots. But most of us have to think twice. Rosamund Young…
Research•1 min read
Reported
How to Spot A Happy Horse
How to spot a happy horse: Look for pointed ears and listen for snorts, apparently. Horses living in restricted conditions snorted twice as much in the pasture than when they…
Research•1 min read
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Sentient investigates and explains factory farms and their effect on climate, the environment, animals, health, politics and rural communities.