Animals

Laws in Montana, Utah, North Dakota, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and North Carolina have also made it illegal for activists to smuggle cameras into industrial animal operations.

Judge Strikes Down Idaho 'Ag-Gag' Law, Raising Questions For Other States

8:25pm August 04, 2015

by Luke Runyon

A judge ruled Monday that an Idaho law criminalizing undercover investigations of farms is unconstitutional. Seven other states have similar laws, but legal experts say they may not stand much longer.

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Pep is featured in the Dec. 26, 1925 issue of the Boston Daily Globe. But Gov. Pinchot's wife, Cornelia, later set the tall tale straight in an interview with The New York Times.

National

Why 'Pep' The Prison Dog Got Such A Bum Rap

4:47pm August 04, 2015

by Emma Jacobs

He killed the Pennsylvania governor's wife's cat — or so the story went. As it turns out, the Labrador was sentenced to the grim corridors of Eastern State Penitentiary to live up to his name.

"Anytime you're in the wild with a beautiful animal you're going to feel good," says Susan Casey, author of Voices in the Ocean: A Journey into the Wild and Haunting World of Dolphins.

Exploring The 'Wild And Haunting World Of Dolphins'

4:28pm August 04, 2015

In her new book, Voices in the Ocean, Susan Casey describes the life of dolphins and details some new threats the animals face, such as organized dolphin kills and man-made sounds in the ocean.

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Victoria, a 2-year-old rat, sniffs for TNT, sticking her nose high in the air to indicate she's found some. She works her way down a 10-meter line with a handler on either end, and is able to detect the presence of TNT at a distance of approximately half

World News

In Cambodia, Rats Are Being Trained To Sniff Out Land Mines And Save Lives

11:35am August 04, 2015

by Michael Sullivan

An estimated 4 to 6 million land mines are scattered throughout Cambodia, one of the world's worst-affected places. Rats possessing an exceptional sense of smell are being trained to detect the mines.

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Ready, set, fly! The ball bearings glued to this bumblebee's legs simulate the weight and placement of pollen loads. The tag on the insect's back is a lightweight sensor, designed to track its movements in flight.

Heavy Loads Of Pollen May Shift Flight Plans Of The Bumblebee

10:52am August 04, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Foraging bumblebees can pick up nearly half their weight in pollen before heading home to the hive, research shows. All that weight tucked into hollows on their hind legs can complicate flying.

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Researchers Witness Urban Coyotes Melt Into The Shadows Of Los Angeles

8:19am August 04, 2015

by Jed Kim

Coyotes are becoming more and more common in urban areas, including Los Angeles. This summer, the National Park Service announced a first-of-its-kind survey of coyote behavior in the city. The researchers say the findings so far have been surprising.

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One of the hornless Holsteins at Steve Maddox's California dairy farm. Maddox is beginning to breed hornless cattle into his herd, but it's slow going.

Wanted: More Bulls With No Horns

4:54pm August 03, 2015

by Abbie Fentress Swanson

Most U.S. dairy cows are born with horns, but most farms remove them. Animal welfare groups say dehorning is cruel. Instead, they want ranchers to breed more hornless cattle into their herds.

Confronting A Shortage Of Eggs, Bakers Get Creative With Replacements

6:37pm August 02, 2015

by Dan Charles

Eggs are becoming more expensive and scarce recently because so many chickens have died from avian flu. So bakers, in particular, are looking for cheaper ingredients that can work just as well.

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Mineral supplements, ape-style: A female chimp called Kana eats clay in the Budongo Forest of Uganda.

Humans Aren't The Only Ones To Go Ape Over Diets: Chimps 'Detox,' Too

10:32am August 01, 2015

by Ina Yang

A group of Ugandan chimps has found a great way to boost their mineral intake and neutralize bitter compounds in their diet: by eating clay.

Zimbabwe Official Calls For Extradition Of American Lion Hunter Walter Palmer

5:48pm July 31, 2015

by Lucy Perkins

Minister of Environment, Water and Climate Oppah Muchinguri wants Palmer to face justice in Zimbabwe, wire services report. U.S. authorities are investigating whether any American laws were broken.