I was always fascinated by their intelligence and their emotions. As well, I was educated in language theory and semiotics (sign theory). Like a number of animal advocates who opposed “exceptionalism, ...

There are many forms of animal communication. In the lyrics of Let’s Do It, Cole Porter celebrated the diversity of signals that birds, bees, oysters, clams, sponges, and electric eels produce to ...

Language was long understood as a human-only affair. New research suggests that isn’t so. Credit...Illustration by Denise Nestor Supported by By Sonia Shah Can a mouse learn a new song? Such a ...

It would seem that communication among animals is easy. For instance, a bark may be used to warn of danger, and a call may be used to bring the group together. The communication appears to be easy and ...

Researchers are using large language models to decode the communication patterns of animals. Google DeepMind is building DolphinGemma, which studies dolphin sounds to understand them. The Earth ...

We’ve been wondering what goes on inside the minds of animals since antiquity. Dr. Doolittle’s talent was far from novel when it was first published in 1920; Greco-Roman literature is lousy with ...

Why do humans have language and other animals apparently don’t? It’s one of the most enduring questions in the study of mind and communication. Across all cultures, humans use richly expressive ...

In May 2020, Pratyusha Sharma was painstakingly parsing data to prepare for a meeting with her research group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, hoping to find a pattern. It wasn’t just any ...

In the movie Hoppers, scientists “hop” human consciousness into animal-like robots to talk to other species. We asked the experts their thoughts on how conceivable the plot is. Some scientists believe ...

Holly has a degree in Medical Biochemistry from the University of Leicester. Her scientific interests include genomics, personalized medicine, and bioethics.View full profile Holly has a degree in ...