Animals

P-22 is believed to have the smallest home range of any adult male mountain lion ever studied. This map shows P-22's tiny home range in Griffith Park compared to other adult male mountain lions studied by the National Park Service.

Science

LA's Mountain Lion Is A Solitary Cat With A Knack For Travel

11:05am April 22, 2015

by NPR Staff

A puma named P-22 had to master a suburban commute to find his home in Griffith Park. His name might not be pretty, but the biologist who collared him thinks it fits just right.

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Reptiles like leopard geckos can bring Salmonella along with them.

Doctors Don't Always Ask About Pet-Related Health Risks

11:07am April 21, 2015

by Nancy Shute

People can pick up germs and parasites from their pets, and some of them can be nasty. Health care providers for all species could do a better job of communicating the risks, a study finds.

"We're designed to convince ourselves that our very selective deployment of compassion is thoroughly justified" — Robert Wright

Science
Arts

Are We Wired To Be Compassionate?

12:09pm April 20, 2015

by NPR/TED Staff

Author Robert Wright says humans are not simply wired to be compassionate — we have evolved to feel compassion out of self-interest.

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Maya, shown with her newborn, Kip, had to use her wits to rise above her lowly station in the social hierarchy of her group of macaque monkeys.

Arts

A Mother Rises Through The Ranks In 'Monkey Kingdom'

12:01pm April 20, 2015

by NPR Staff

Macaque monkeys born at the top of society live like royalty. The new film from Disneynature follows a monkey born at the bottom of the pile who struggles to makes a better life for her family.

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Mother and infant Bouvier's red colobus monkeys in a first-ever photograph of the primate taken in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The species was thought to have gone extinct in the 1970s.

Congo Monkey Spotted Decades After Species' Alleged Demise

4:49pm April 19, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Bouvier's red colobus monkey — thought to have disappeared for good from the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo sometime in the 1970s — has been photographed by two researchers.

Science

Gazing Into Those Puppy-Dog Eyes May Actually Be Good For You

6:25pm April 18, 2015

by Geoff Brumfiel

Gazing into your dog's eyes apparently triggers happy feelings in both parties - suggesting that dogs really may love us back. (This piece originally aired on All Things Considered on April 16, 2015.)

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A troop of chimpanzees in Uganda has learned to look both ways before crossing a busy highway.

Science

WATCH: Chimps In Uganda Look Both Ways Before Crossing

6:32pm April 17, 2015

by Scott Neuman

A 29-month study of chimpanzees in Uganda's Kibale National Park reveals that many have learned a valuable survival skill — to look both ways before crossing a busy highway.

A direct, friendly gaze seems to help cement the bond of affection between people and their pooches.

Scientists Probe Puppy Love

5:28pm April 17, 2015

by Geoff Brumfiel

Research shows the mutual gazing between pooches and people spurs release of a "trust hormone" in both. The results suggest dogs really may love us back.

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Chicago-Area Dog Flu Outbreak Rises To Over 1,000 Cases

6:52pm April 15, 2015

Vets in Chicago have reported more than 1,000 cases of Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease. Six dogs have died so far. NPR's Audie Cornish talks to Edward Dubovi of Cornell University's veterinary school about the dog flu outbreak.

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World News

'Rambo' The Octopus Shoots Photos Of Tourists At New Zealand Aquarium

6:52pm April 15, 2015

At Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium in Auckland, New Zealand, a female octopus has been trained to take photographs of visitors from inside her tank.

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