NIH Funds Major Alternative to Vivisection
The National Institutes of Health is funding a major new project to replace vivisection experiments with “organ chips” – silicon chips that can contain real human…
Papua People Insist: ‘We Are Not Animals.’
It’s often assumed that indigenous peoples think of themselves as being closer to nature and not as involved as the rest of us in trying to…
Scientists Declare: Nonhuman Animals Are Conscious
Science leaders have reached a critical consensus: Humans are not the only conscious beings; other animals, specifically mammals and birds, are indeed conscious, too. The official decision was reached in late night discussions two weeks ago during the prestigious annual Francis Crick Memorial Conference.
Climate Change Denier’s About-Face
One of the major climate change skeptics, Richard A. Muller, has taken another step in reversing his position. Much of Muller’s work has been largely funded…
Pork Council: "Ask a Pig If She’s Happy"
Why is the National Pork Producers Council worried that new laws may give chickens a few inches more space? Because it may be the thin end…
Pastor Rick Warren Explains His Tweet
Rick Warren has clarified his comment from a few days ago, which was apparently taken out of context – including by us. He wasn’t talking about…
Brits Divided Over Experiment on Kittens
Is it OK to sew up the eyes of kittens, open up their brains, and then kill them? What about if it might lead scientists to…
Should We Be Alarmed by Greenland Ice Melt?
Answer: yes and no. Yes, Greenland is already melting much faster than in recent history. And yes, this will cause sea levels to rise two to…
You’d Never Guess What’s Under Here
Two men surveying the Antarctica’s Ferrigno Glacier, which is rapidly melting, have detected something so awesome they could scarcely believe it at first. But it’s there,…
Video of SeaWorld Trainer’s Narrow Escape
This is the video of a killer whale trainer being dragged underwater in 2006 by one of the orcas at SeaWorld San Diego. It was released…
Judge Rules For Elephants Against L.A. Zoo
“All is not well at the Elephants of Asia exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo,” wrote Judge John L. Segal in his judgment against the Los…
Best Simple Book on Climate Change
Pound for pound, I’d rate Global Weirdness, the new book from the folks at Climate Central, the best book I’ve come across for a simple, objective, science-based explanation of what climate change is and how it’s affecting the planet.
Cat Finds His Way Home from Six Miles Away
It took Wollie three days to find his way home. His mom, Barbara Oliphant, had rescued him as a stray last summer, but when her husband…
Pig Factories: ‘We’re Humane’
Old McDonald had a farm. But those kinds of farms are long gone. In today’s world, McDonalds has factory farms that it contracts with. And what…
Young Gorillas Dismantle a Trap
For the first time, gorillas have been seen freeing each other from traps set by hunters. People from the Karisoke Research Center in Rwanda watched as…
Pastor Rick Warren Explains the Movie Massacre
There’s so much wrong with this Tweet by Pastor Rick Warren: Where do you start? Just to state the most obvious:
Reconciling Faith with Pessimism
Some noteworthy remarks by Chris Hedges on Bill Moyers weekly “Moyers and Company” show on PBS yesterday. They should resonate with any of us who are…
The Massacre in Denver
If you want to see a deranged adult killer in the making, watch out for a young animal abuser. In each of five school massacres that took place in the year and a half leading up to the Columbine case, the kids who opened fire on their fellow students, teachers, and family all had a history of killing or hurting animals first.
Michael Vick: ‘I’ve Helped More Animals than I’ve Hurt’
Michael Vick says he’s “made peace” with his past and that in his work as a motivational speaker for the Humane Society of the U.S., he’s…
Are Dolphins Math Geniuses?
You have to be a math genius even just to understand the math skills that dolphins deploy when they’re out on a fishing expedition. The basic…