Hacker News with Generative AI: Animals

Jumping Spiders Can Think Ahead, Plan Detours (2016) (nationalgeographic.com)
With brains the size of a sesame seed, jumping spiders may seem like mental lightweights.

Animals, Science, Biology, Behavior

6 points by droideqa 1 day ago | 0 comments

10 Lizards were smuggled into Cincinnati in a sock. Now there are thousands (nationalgeographic.com)
For more than 70 years, thousands of common wall lizards, known as Lazarus lizards, from Europe have made Cincinnati their home. Even through record-low temperatures and snowfall, they’ve managed to survive—and multiply. But how did these Mediterranean reptiles gain such a foothold in a Midwestern city? It all started with a 10-year-old boy and a sock full of lizards.

Animals, Biology, Urban Wildlife, Cincinnati, Invasive Species

4 points by nfriedly 3 days ago | 1 comments

In Defense of the Rat (hakaimagazine.com)
Congratulations to J. B. MacKinnon for winning a Society of Environmental Journalists award for this article.

Animals, Journalism, Awards

48 points by ivm 3 days ago | 40 comments

First stroke rehabilitation drug discovered in mouse model (medicalxpress.com)
A new study by UCLA Health has discovered what researchers say is the first drug to fully reproduce the effects of physical stroke rehabilitation in model mice.

Medical Research, Neuroscience, Stroke, Pharmacology, Animals

3 points by PaulHoule 6 days ago | 0 comments

Plato: Organist to the Beasts (2022) (willbuckingham.com)
It’s a curious image. The philosopher Plato, dressed in a turban and a sash, sits before a pipe organ and plays sweet tunes. Meanwhile, around him lies a catatonic tribe of lions, tigers, antelopes, leopards, deer, rhinos, cranes, phoenixes and other beasts. What’s going on here? Are these animals sleeping? Are they dead? What is Plato up to?

Art, Philosophy, Humor, Animals

10 points by marginalia_nu 9 days ago | 4 comments

"Infantile amnesia" occurs despite babies showing memory activity (arstechnica.com)
For many of us, memories of our childhood have become a bit hazy, if not vanishing entirely. But nobody really remembers much before the age of 4, because nearly all humans experience what's termed "infantile amnesia," in which memories that might have formed before that age seemingly vanish as we move through adolescence. And it's not just us; the phenomenon appears to occur in a number of our fellow mammals.

Memory, Neuroscience, Childhood, Psychology, Animals

7 points by nobody9999 10 days ago | 1 comments

Wealthiest Animals in the World (wikipedia.org)
The list of wealthiest animals in the world include animals that have inherited or earned over 1 million U.S. dollars.

Wealth, Animals, Finance

5 points by indiantinker 11 days ago | 0 comments

Riot Dog (wikipedia.org)
A riot dog is a stray dog that accompanies street protesters.

Animals, Protests, Social Issues

4 points by softwaredoug 12 days ago | 0 comments

The Barnacle Goose Myth (wikipedia.org)
The barnacle goose myth is a widely-reported historical misconception about the breeding habits of the barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis) and brant goose (Branta bernicla).

Mythology, Animals, Biology, History

36 points by jamesgpearce 13 days ago | 12 comments

Feral pig meat transmits rare bacteria (arstechnica.com)
In the fall of 2020, a 77-year-old man in Florida realized he had gotten one of the worst gifts imaginable—one that kept on giving.

Health, Science, Animals, Food

178 points by abawany 14 days ago | 124 comments

Scientists discover first known animal that doesn't breathe (2020) (livescience.com)

Science, Biology, Animals, Research

26 points by thunderbong 17 days ago | 4 comments

This is no world for an axolotl (elpais.com)
This is no world for an axolotl.

Environment, Endangered Species, Animals

173 points by geox 18 days ago | 79 comments

The Cat's Meat Man: Feeding Felines in Victorian London (publicdomainreview.org)
As cats evolved from feral ratters into beloved Victorian companions, a nascent pet-food economy arose on the carts of so-called “cat’s meat men”. Kathryn Hughes explores the life and times of these itinerant offal vendors, their intersection with a victim of Jack the Ripper, and a feast held in the meat men’s honor, chaired by none other than Louis Wain.

History, Victorian Era, London, Animals, Food

6 points by giuliomagnifico 19 days ago | 0 comments

My pet rat is dying. I can't stop thinking about all the things he taught me (theguardian.com)
But here’s the thing: Bob is my son. He is kind, cuddly, stubborn and wilful. Even people who don’t like rats are moved by him.

Pets, Animals, Relationships, Death

7 points by arp242 20 days ago | 1 comments

Pets Can't Stop Watching 'Flow,' the Oscar-Winning Cat Movie (nytimes.com)
“Flow,” a dialogue-free animated Latvian film made with open-source software, is keeping our domesticated friends riveted.

Animals, Movies, Animation, Latvia

81 points by ChrisArchitect 23 days ago | 12 comments

Magpies and crows are using “anti-bird spikes” to make nests (2023) (audubon.org)
Humans have made the world less hospitable for birds in many ways. One obvious and intentional example of this can be found in towns and cities worldwide: anti-bird spikes. The pointy wires you might see attached to roofs, ledges, and light poles are meant to deter urban species like pigeons from landing, pooping, and even nesting where people don’t want them to. But in an avian act of poetic justice, a handful of European birds have struck back.

Nature, Animals, Urban Planning, Environmentalism

234 points by perihelions 23 days ago | 84 comments

"Wooly mice" a test run for mammoth gene editing (arstechnica.com)
On Tuesday, the team behind the plan to bring mammoth-like animals back to the tundra announced the creation of what it is calling wooly mice, which have long fur reminiscent of the woolly mammoth.

Genetics, Extinction, Animals, Science

5 points by rbanffy 29 days ago | 0 comments

What a crab sees before it gets eaten by a cuttlefish (nytimes.com)
Cuttlefish use visual tricks to avoid being eaten. New research shows how they deploy similar camouflage to bamboozle their prey.

Science, Animals, Camouflage, Predators, Prey

204 points by gk1 29 days ago | 66 comments

Scientists aiming to bring back woolly mammoth create woolly mice (theguardian.com)
A plan to revive the mammoth is on track, scientists have said after creating a new species: the woolly mouse.

Science, Genetics, Extinction, Animals, Biology

18 points by n1b0m 29 days ago | 2 comments

Study of cockatoo Snowball suggests humans aren't the only ones who can dance (news.harvard.edu)
New research starring YouTube sensation Snowball the dancing cockatoo spotlights the surprising variety and creativity of his moves and suggests that he, and some other vocal-learning animals, may be capable of some of the kind of sophisticated brain function thought to be exclusively human.

Animals, Science, Research, Behavior, Dance

26 points by wallflower 32 days ago | 38 comments

Sneaky bamboo can control the genes of the Pandas eating it, scientists discover (livescience.com)

Genetics, Biology, Animals, China, Science

9 points by Brajeshwar 33 days ago | 0 comments

Drone captures narwhals using their tusks to explore, forage and play (phys.org)
The Arctic's iconic narwhal, renowned for its long, spiral tusk, is one of nature's most fascinating creatures. Yet, few have witnessed how these elusive animals use their tusks in the wild.

Animals, Arctic, Nature, Wildlife, Science

86 points by dnetesn 34 days ago | 17 comments

Captain 'lost for words' after witnessing a super pod of more than 2k dolphins (cbc.ca)
Tour boat workers spotted a super pod of more than 2,000 northern right whale dolphins in Monterey Bay, Calif.

Marine Life, Animals, California, Wildlife

47 points by petethomas 35 days ago | 11 comments

The shop cats of Hong Kong's Sheung Wan district (huckmag.com)
Feline good — Traditionally adopted to keep away rats from expensive produce, the feline guardians have become part of the central neighbourhood’s fabric. Erica’s online series captures the local celebrities.

Animals, Hong Kong, Photography, Culture

4 points by gmays 36 days ago | 0 comments

Flashy exotic birds can glow in the dark (arstechnica.com)
Found in the forests of Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and Eastern Australia, birds of paradise are famous for flashy feathers and unusually shaped ornaments, which set the standard for haute couture among birds.

Animals, Biology, Nature, Birds

11 points by cratermoon 38 days ago | 3 comments

Bird flu confirmed in rats for first time, USDA reports (cbsnews.com)
Bird flu has been detected in rats for the first time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed Wednesday.

Bird Flu, Health, Animals, Science

52 points by perihelions 39 days ago | 7 comments

The Cat's Meat Man: Feeding Felines in Victorian London (publicdomainreview.org)
On January 10, 1901, twelve days before Queen Victoria did the unthinkable and died, 250 cat’s meat men sat down to a slap-up dinner at a restaurant in Holborn, on the edge of central London.

History, London, Animals, Victorian Era

4 points by pepys 41 days ago | 0 comments

Humpback whale briefly traps young kayaker in its mouth in Chile (apnews.com)
A humpback whale briefly swallowed a kayaker off Chilean Patagonia before quickly releasing him unharmed.

Animals, Chile, Whales, Kayaking

66 points by vinnyglennon 47 days ago | 69 comments

Beavers finish seven-year dam project in two days saving – $1M (nationalgeographic.com)
After plans stalled for a new dam in the Czech Republic, eight beavers saved the day seemingly overnight. “At this point, nothing that beavers do surprises me.”

Animals, Engineering, Environment

61 points by vixen99 52 days ago | 45 comments

Scientists solve the mystery of sea turtles' 'lost years' (phys.org)
Using satellite trackers, scientists have discovered the whereabouts of young sea turtles during a key part of their lives.

Science, Animals, Biology, Marine Biology, Research

41 points by pseudolus 56 days ago | 7 comments