Human Animal Science

Do slugs disgust you? How about dog poo, or road kill? Tyler (T.J.) Kasperbauer gained his PhD in Philosophy from Texas A&M University where he wrote a dissertation on moral psychology and animal ethics. He is currently completing post-doctoral research at the University of Copenhagen, working with the well-known Peter Sandøe. T.J.’s main areas of research [&hellip

Do slugs disgust you? How about dog poo, or road kill? Tyler (T.J.) Kasperbauer gained his PhD in Philosophy from Texas A&M University where he wrote a dissertation on moral psychology and animal ethics. He is currently completing post-doctoral research at the University of Copenhagen, working with the well-known Peter Sandøe. T.J.’s main areas of […] The post Disgusting Animals: what underlies the ‘Eeeww’ factor? first appeared on Human Animal Science.

When did wolves become dogs? What evolutionary and developmental processes are involved in creating physical variation? Is selection responsible for moulding the diversity of life? Or does developmental bias via drive and constraint determine how animal shapes change? Abby Drake is interested in the processes that produce macroevolution and dictate which physical appearances, evolve and […] The post An evolutionary experiment: when did wolves become dogs and what comes next? first appeared on Human Animal Science.

Do fish really feel pain? You might assume yes, but you’d be wrong. Kind of. You see – it’s complicated. Dr Ben Diggles has worked with government, aquaculture industry, recreational fisheries, and commercial fisheries throughout New Zealand, Australia, Asia and the Pacific Islands. His core work includes import risk analysis, fish and shellfish health, fish welfare, development [&hellip

Do fish really feel pain? You might assume yes, but you’d be wrong. Kind of. You see – it’s complicated. Dr. Ben Diggles has worked with government, aquaculture industry, recreational fisheries, and commercial fisheries throughout New Zealand, Australia, Asia and the Pacific Islands. Ben’s core work includes import risk analysis, fish and shellfish health, fish welfare, development […] The post Do fish feel pain? Diving in to the deep end of fish welfare first appeared on Human Animal Science.

Did you know scientists are studying the ways that you walk your dog? What motivates you, how long you exercise for, what features (like footpaths and dog parks) promote human activity – all these questions and more, are being studied by researchers, Hayley Christian and Carri Westgarth. Hayley’s background in human health teamed with Carri’s expertise in […] The post Just walking the dog: what promotes healthy humans? first appeared on Human Animal Science.

Does your pet have a glass half full, or glass half empty take on life? It’s a recent discovery that many animals can be optimistic or pessimistic based on their experiences. Dr. Melissa Starling holds a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and recently gained her PhD from the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney with a […] The post Is your dog optimistic? Cognitive bias in animals first appeared on Human Animal Science.

Did you know that goats have emotions? How about social networks, puzzle solving skills and impressive long term memories? We’re not even kidding! Alan McElligott is based at the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences at the Queen Mary University of London, where he and his team research cattle, fallow deer, and goats. In this episode, we [&hellip

“Do goats have emotions?” is something rarely searched for on Google, but if you think about it, it’s a very good question. The answer is yes, goats do have emotions. Believe it or not, they also have social networks, puzzle solving skills, and impressive long term memories? We’re not even kidding! Alan McElligott is based at […] The post Emotions, memory and social networks – of Goats first appeared on Human Animal Science.

Have we forgotten that people are animals too? Barbara Natterson-Horowitz is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in the United States. In addition to patient care, she is actively involved with medical education and research. Kathryn Bowers is a Fellow at the New […] The post Zoobiquity: connecting the health of humans and animals first appeared on Human Animal Science.