Podcasts about animal behavior

EVEN MORE about this episode!Can animals help us grow spiritually? In this powerful episode, renowned animal communicator Danielle MacKinnon reveals how our pets reflect our deepest emotions and soul lessons: guiding us through anxiety, healing, and transformation. Discover how animals act as intuitive mirrors, teachers, and even spiritual allies from the Other Side.From soul contracts and animal behavior to the emotional journey of pet loss and rebirth, Danielle shares heart-opening stories of pets leading us to clarity, connection, and growth. Learn how to deepen your intuitive bond and recognize the signs your furry friend is guiding you—whether they're here or beyond. This episode will change how you see your pet forever.Guest Biography:Danielle MacKinnon is a trailblazing animal communicator and creator of Soul Level Animal Communication®, a method that reveals animals as spiritual teachers helping us grow through love. Leaving behind a corporate career and nearly-completed MBA, she followed her calling to help people understand the deeper purpose of their relationships with animals—both in life and after death.A bestselling author and trusted intuitive, Danielle has guided thousands of students in over 60 countries to awaken their innate intuitive gifts. Through her online school and Be Open Community, she empowers people—from skeptics to seasoned intuitives—to connect with animals on a soul level and discover the profound wisdom their pets are here to share.Episode Chapters:(0:00:01) - Animal Communication and Soul Lessons(0:13:54) - Animal Behavior and Soul Connections(0:29:05) - Life After Death for Animals(0:41:58) - Understanding Pet Euthanasia and Spirit Separation(0:47:28) - Understanding Animal Communication and Intuitive Connection➡️Subscribe to Ask Julie Ryan YouTube➡️Subscribe to Ask Julie Ryan Español YouTube➡️Subscribe to Ask Julie Ryan Português YouTube➡️Subscribe to Ask Julie Ryan Deutsch YouTube➡️Subscribe to Ask Julie Ryan Français YouTube✏️Ask Julie a Question!

Send us a textPlease join Dr. Chastain and Ginger while they explain:Carrying a cat in your armsTransporting a cat in a crateMoving a cat by vehicles and by airLink to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

What do biofeedback, brewery manners, and doggy backpacks have in common? Amber Quann, CEO and Head Trainer at Summit Dog Training, weaves them together beautifully in this episode of Enrichment for the Real World. Host Emily Strong and guest, Amber Quann dig into the nuances of dog relaxation, not just as a one-size-fits-all goal, but as a spectrum that requires thoughtful practice and an understanding of what each individual dog needs to get there.Whether you're curious about how to help your dog unwind after a zoomie-fueled afternoon or you're wondering if your tiny pup can really enjoy a big hike, Amber brings science, heart, and a whole lot of actionable wisdom. Plus, you'll hear all about her Drink With Your Dog program that's making breweries more dog-friendly across the country.Meet Amber: Summit Dog Training CEO and Head Trainer, Amber Quann, has been in the dog training world since her childhood days in a 4-H club. With credentials from Karen Pryor Academy, CCPDT, and TAGteach, Amber is passionate about helping people and their dogs adventure together in a way that's safe, fun, and behaviorally sound. She's the creator of Drink With Your Dog®, a program designed to create more brewery-friendly dogs, and dog-friendly breweries. When she's not teaching, podcasting, or presenting at ClickerExpo, she's out hiking and hanging with her Papillon sidekick, Jameson.TLDL (too long, didn't listen): 1️⃣ Relaxation Is a Skill, Not a Switch – Helping dogs relax isn't just about asking them to lie down—it's about meeting their physical, mental, and emotional needs before asking for stillness.2️⃣ Trial-and-Eval Is the Name of the Game – Whether it's sniffaris, chew sessions, zoomies, or training games, each dog has unique needs to prep for rest. Find your pet's recharge formula.3️⃣ Small Dogs, Big Adventures – Don't let short legs stop the journey. With the right gear and prep, little dogs can hike, explore, and thrive alongside their big dog buddies (and humans).Links & Resources from the Episode

Send us a textDr. Chastain and Ginger would like you to join them to learn more about:Common INappropriate greetings for a strange dogHow to invite a strange dog to approach youGreetings and approaches for Service DogsLink to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

Cassie Petoskey: Hi, everyone. Thanks for being here. I'm Cassie Petoskey. I use she or they pronouns. And I'm the Director of the Waldron Student Alumni Connections Program, where our goal really is to help Weinberg College students explore career options through connecting with alumni. So thank you so much for our alumni for being here with us today. And we're going to spend some time. Amelia is going to take us through some prepared questions for our speakers. We'll get into it. Are you okay? I feel like I always talk at the worst time too. So no worries. And then we're going to save plenty of time for questions at the end. And Shai is going to moderate questions from you all. So please, we'll save plenty of time for that as you all are writing [inaudible 00:00:44] down throughout. And I think that's it without... And of course, thank you to Geoclub for partnering with us on this event. Very excited to have you all bring this idea forward and work with you all on this. So thank you. And without further ado, I'll pass to Amelia and Shai. Why don't you introduce yourselves first and then we'll go to our alumni speakers? [inaudible 00:01:06]. Amelia: Hi, everyone. Thank you so much for coming. I'm Amelia. I'm a second year. I'm a Bio and Earth Science... Technically, Earth Science minor, but whatever. And I'm the president of Geoclub. And I'm so grateful that you all attended this event. We really wanted to be able to show people what Earth and Environmental Sciences can do for you in the future and expand the idea of there are [inaudible 00:01:29]. Shai: Hi, guys. I'm Shai. I use he/him pronouns. I'm a senior majoring in Earth and Planetary Science. I'm education chair of Geoclub. So also very glad to see so many [inaudible 00:01:40] here, and I'm excited to hear all the wisdom that our alumni have to offer. Thank you guys. Amelia: Yeah. So to start us off with some questions, can you share with us more about your industry and current job function and introduce yourselves while you're at it? And if you could speak to the microphone, that would be wonderful. Cassie Petoskey: Yeah. We're recording it. Sorry. Seems silly. Max Jones: Sure. Yeah. My name is Max Jones. And speaking of the future of your careers, I'm the near future because I graduated in June actually. So I am a class of 2024. I'm currently a Master's student at the Chicago Botanic Garden and I'm working as a conservation biologist and wildlife biologist. And so right now I've just returned from seven months of fieldwork in Panama doing work on forest fragmentation and animal movements. And I'm super excited to talk about all that and then also how I've kind of gotten to this point, especially so fresh out of undergrad. And then moving forward, I'm also going to be moving to Germany this summer to work with some scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior to keep working there. And so I'm going to be talking mostly I guess about my time networking at Northwestern and then how Earth and Planetary Science and Environmental Science has led me to the strange position I'm in right now. Margaret Isaacson: Hey, everyone. So my name's Margaret Isaacson. I graduated in 2015. It's been a minute. I'm a graduate of the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department, and currently I am a conservation and outdoors division manager at the Parks and Rec department in Evanston. So I'm pretty local. My position title is a long way of saying that I oversee our local nature center and all the programs that we run out of that facility along with the park services team that oversees the maintenance of the public restrooms around town and the athletic fields around town and picnic areas. So happy and excited to be here and talk to you all. And I think what I'll focus on, but happy to answer any questions, is how my experience in the department brought me to maybe an unusual career path and sector of the workplace, which is parks and recreation. Amelia: Thank you. So what were some of the impactful classes or experiences for you in your undergrad at Northwestern that led you to pursue your career path? Margaret Isaacson: Max, I feel like yours is in more recent memory, but I'll dig back. Max Jones: Okay. For mine, I think I'd probably start with saying ironically Spanish. Spanish led me down a snowball into this world of Latin American conservation that I've found myself in. And it was really that triggered the start, but then also I had everyone in the Environmental Science Department urging me to branch out and try new things, which was something super interesting. And so then specifically which classes, I'd say the GIS class with Elsa Anderson that I took was incredibly impactful in my senior year. That's been a skill that I've used all the time going forward. And just knowing these different kinds of programs like that have made it really easy for me to quickly pick up new kinds of analysis or feel comfortable going into different fields that I might not have experience with at the time. There was that, and then I'd also say my community ecology class from... That one's with the Biology Department, although I think Environmental Science students often take that too. That one just exposed me to a lot of different kind of paper readings. And so at first I thought those classes were very unfocused, but then I realized the goal is to expose you to so many different kinds of scientific thought that then you can... You find that one paper that you get really, really into for some reason and then that ends up being the rabbit hole that you follow down into the career that you want. Margaret Isaacson: The first thing that I'm thinking about back 10 years ago is some of the field experiences that I went on with the various classes, everything from Earth 201, that [inaudible 00:05:45] like trip, which hopefully is still around, to doing lake sediment coring up in Wisconsin on a frozen lake in the middle of February. That's right. Maggie remembers that hopefully. It was very cold. It was very, very cold that day. A lot of dancing on the ice to keep warm. So these experiences in the outdoors, they built on my passion for camping, my passion for spending time in the outdoors, but I got to be doing important science while I was out there. And now as a parks and recreation professional, my job is primarily outdoors and the goal of our Ecology Center here in Evanston is to inspire families, young kids, adults, people of all ages to spend time outdoors, whether that's through a quick class, through a whole summer of summer camp. But really it was those experiences doing science outside that showed me what can I do to inspire other people. "My professors are inspiring me now. Is there something more local, maybe less academic that I can have an impact on a broad range of people?" So I think those experiential moments were really important for me and really didn't guide me directly to parks and rec, but reinforced my passion for the outdoors and for inspiring that in others. Amelia: Max, you mentioned a bit about how your connections and networking that you had here are important. I don't know if that's applicable to you, but if you'd share a bit more about that, I'd love to hear. Max Jones: Yeah. Sorry. Give me just a second. You guys, it really was like... It's a funny thing on how you get started in these things because it's never the path you originally take that ends up to where you end up in the end. Because I think I started with one of the professors who was teaching an introductory climate change course my freshman year. I worked with her on processing photos of trees for a while and then that slowly led me to meet the people at the Chicago Botanic Garden. And then even though my research interests don't perfectly align with them, I did a thesis with Trish, with Patricia Betos, as my undergrad thesis advisor. And Trish is a mover. She loves pushing people to go do more and more and more. So I ended up going and doing a thesis in Costa Rica for my undergrad field work. And this is what I mean by the snowballs because I started taking photos of trees and then I ended up in Costa Rica doing sea turtle work with Trish and then from there I met the people that I worked with on this project as well. So that's the number one thing that I always recommend is don't be afraid to follow a lead, even if you don't know exactly where it's going to lead you to in that moment. Margaret Isaacson: Yeah. I could add a little bit to that. Not so much networking here on campus, but just post-grad when you start out at an opportunity. My first job was a part-time... My first job after post-grad was a part-time position with the Ecology Center. It was limited hours. I was learning on the job how to lead programs, completely new in the environmental education field, but I then left and came back two times and in four different positions leading to the one that I'm in now. So I think, like you said, following a lead, even if you don't know necessarily where it's going to take you, building relationships with the folks that you work with, the folks that... Whether it's academic or professional or just a summer experience, those are connections that you're going to take with you along the way. They might be people that you meet again. They might not. But like you said, Max, it's going to take you somewhere. And I think I wouldn't be where I was now if I didn't have the Ecology Center, for example, in the back of my mind and just building back towards that in some ways once I found something that I was excited about. Amelia: That's great. Thank you. What has surprised you about what you learned or did during your school days that helped you in your work today? I hope something you learned helps today. Margaret Isaacson: I can speak to that a little bit. So when I was an undergrad, I had two majors. I studied French all the way at the south end of campus, and then I was up here at the north end of campus doing Earth and Planetary Sciences. And having those two degrees really helped me flex some of my critical thinking skills. I wasn't always focused on data and reading scientific papers. I was also reading French literature and writing papers about French literature. I'm not fluent in French. I'm not using that skill very much. But that flexibility between two different majors or two different ways of using your brain has really served me well in how I organize my time at work, how I manage my staff, how we think critically about designing a new program in Evanston or figuring out how to make the bathrooms clean. Somebody's got to do it, so figuring out an efficient way to do that. I think the work ethic that you learn and practice at Northwestern is going to serve you no matter what. Maybe, Max, you have more data analyst that you use in your day-to-day than I do necessarily, but I think it's those soft skills and those hard skills that are going to come into play. Max Jones: No. I 100% agree with the soft skills part because so many of the random little things you do day-to-day as a college student end up translating in very strange ways to you being in a post-grad experience. For example, I never played soccer before, but then I played IM Leagues here and then all of a sudden, I felt very comfortable going and playing IM Leagues in Panama and that was my resource to going to meet people. And so you do just learn very good social skills in college, I'd say, that then translate very well to being outside. And I think that's especially true at Northwestern when you're surrounded by people who generally like to have conversations because sometimes you come across someone that might not want to engage with you in a way that you want to engage with them and so you have now this kind of depth of experience of having good productive conversations with people and that you can use going forward. And that's something that I always found super useful. I also took a drawing class that I found really productive here. Yeah. Amelia: So sort of going back to the networking question, what advice might you have for networking within your individual industries? Max Jones: Do not be afraid to cold call people. That's the number one thing I think, is the worst that can happen is... Honestly the worst that can happen is that they remember your name and that's a best case scenario in most fields because then a few years down the line you can meet them again and be like, "Oh, hi. Do you remember me?" They say yes, then you've won technically. Yeah, because I've also talked to friends about this because they say... Especially in science, people love to collaborate in science. You'll have people wanting to collaborate even when you don't really want to. And so if you just email them and you just express your genuine interest, not just trying to find a job out of it, then I've only had people respond very positively in these scenarios. And so even if you get told, "No, we don't have an option," a friend of mine once told me that every interview or every kind of reaching out is a networking opportunity, so even if you don't get it, you've done your job for that day at least because then you've met one more person who maybe five years down the line is going to help you out. Margaret Isaacson: I would add that more than likely you're going to end up in... You potentially end up in some kind of professional sphere that has conference opportunities, whether that's something that you're attending now or looking to in the future. I was surprised. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was surprised when I got into parks and rec that there's a parks and rec conference. There's an Illinois parks and rec conference. There's a national parks and rec conference. There's so many people in this industry that I can learn from and skills that I never thought I'd even touch. So like Max said, don't be afraid to reach out to people. They're excited to talk about what they do and how they got there and what they want to do. So I think if you don't hear from people right away, it's probably because they're busy, but hopefully they get back to you. It doesn't hurt to email them again. Yeah. Just keep a positive attitude when you're reaching out to folks. Amelia: [inaudible 00:14:20] question, what is your favorite thing about your job? Margaret Isaacson: Oh, man. There's so many things. I also thought of my least favorite things, but... Well, you guys know I'm in charge of bathrooms now. It's not so glamorous. Gosh. There's so many fun things about parks and recreation. Being able to be outside a lot of the time is pretty great. I do spend a lot of hours behind a desk like anyone, but having our seasonal special events that we get the community out for, building new opportunities too for folks to experience the outdoors. Is really powerful to see the Evanston Environmental Association and the Ecology Center are working on trying to build a new canoe launch so that we can access the canal more easily. It's going to have a really big local impact. And it's just an inspiring process to watch. There's other parts of my job, like I said, that I never thought I'd be doing, where our building is under construction right now. And I studied Earth and science. I didn't study construction or architecture, but I get to see that whole process play out. And I think you can really see a lot of variety in most professions and learn from each of those experiences. And yeah. Right now, the construction is actually really fun to see play out. Max Jones: Yeah. For me, I'd say the collaborative element is something that I really love in my profession. It's the fact that no science is ever done in a bottle, and so you're constantly just meeting with people. It feels like a very creative process as you go through it. So it's always evolving, always adapting. Even the things you think are going to be boring, like sitting on your computer all day, just coding in R, then ends up being like something's going on there. And then you just dive down the rabbit hole and then you text all the other people you're collaborating with. It's like, "Hold on. Am I seeing this correctly?" Hey, I find it very enjoyable the fact that the process is iterative and I always get a chance to learn from other people. And then, like I said earlier, people love to collaborate. So then I've had really brief meetings where they're just throwing out ideas left and right at me. And the concept of just putting together all of these people's collective knowledge and interests and passion into the project is something that really speaks to me. And then the other thing I'd say is definitely I have a very fieldwork heavy field, and I think that that is something that's I personally enjoy a lot is this balance of I get to do work outside and then I also get to do this collaborative, creative element and bring this... Synthesize it all into a living, breathing work that I can put out into the world afterwards. Amelia: Thank you so much. Not to be presumptuous, but I'm seeing some themes between the both of you, which you said you like to be outside and you like to be creative, which I think is awesome. I think that's a thing that a lot of us in the room can relate to. How have your work or how have your values and beliefs influenced how you approach your professional workplace? Margaret Isaacson: Oh. Max Jones: It's funny. I prepped for this question and I'm still not ready for it. Margaret Isaacson: So I spoke to a little bit my passion for the outdoors, passion for outdoor rec, whether that's camping, hiking, backpacking, canoeing. A lot of those things I don't do here in Chicago. There's not too many backpacking routes in Chicago, so I try to get out of town and state for those. But those core values, just spending time outside really inform my day-to-day work, like you said, Amelia. I think even just taking a little break during the workday to get some [inaudible 00:18:04] or planning a professional development program for the Ecology Center staff or the parks and rec department as a whole that gets everyone outside and gets them rejuvenated goes a long way to staff's mental health, having fun in the workplace, being inspired in the workplace, even when we have these boring administrative tasks that we have to do every day. So I think that outdoor passion is really something that's just stuck with me along the way. And then were it not for the Ecology Center existing in this parks and rec department in Evanston, I wouldn't be able to bring my passion for sustainability to work either. I think sustainability would inform a lot of the things that the department does and that the City of Evanston does. The city has its own sustainability staff. We've got a sustainable waste manager. So I would say the town is progressive in that aspect, but having a center that's dedicated to promoting sustainability and educating folks on sustainability in a fun way, not in like a, "Here's how you recycle. And here's a DIY workshop on how to," I don't know, "Swap your clothes or something with other folks." I think having that focus of a center dedicated to this brings the fun into the Department of Sustainability, and that's been really nice to take from my work in paleo-climatology to, "Okay. What are we doing now and here and in this time to help Earth?" Max Jones: I really like what Margaret said about passion driving a lot of the work because I think that's really prominent in this field, especially where passion for the subject matter is really what gets us out of bed in the morning and then gets us to go because not a lot of people choose what we do based on the money or it's not like a career path that's recommended. It's like, "Oh, you should go into Earth and Environmental Sciences because that's a high income field." It's like, "No. We're doing this because we love it." And I do think that that is something that's like... It helps motivate a lot of the work you do and a lot of the challenges you might face along the way. It's like you think that, "At the very least I'm doing this because I love it and not because anyone is telling me I should." Amelia: I totally agree. I'm guessing a lot of people in this room also have a passion that leads them to come here. I think I'm out of my questions. Does anyone else have questions that they want to ask the speakers? I mean, I have [inaudible 00:20:42] my paper. Yeah. Rose: Yeah. Thank you guys for both being here. My name is Rose. I'm [inaudible 00:20:49] major. I'm a sophomore. I'm kind of curious, when you both were juniors, seniors, what did you think you were going to do and what was the plan that you had in your mind and what were the factors, like, "Oh, grad school. Oh, this, that."? Max Jones: Do you want me to start because more recent? Margaret Isaacson: Yeah. Max Jones: Okay. My journey as an undergrad was pretty funny because I came in as an engineering student. I originally wanted to be an environmental engineer because I come from Kentucky and so then back home you're just pushed to be either a doctor, an engineer or a lawyer. And I was like, "Well, engineer sounds fun." And then I got here and then I was just surrounded by people who were following passions instead of then just what they wanted to do. And so then I began to explore this career as an ambiguous just environmental researcher in my mind, but I didn't know exactly what that was going to look like and I really didn't know what it was going to look like until very recently. I only started all of my work abroad and then all of my work as a biologist specifically late in my junior year. And so it's one of those things where it's like I feel like a lot of it will take shape in very sudden and dramatic ways. So even if you don't know exactly where you're going, there's going to be some kind of event that triggers it and it all starts moving into place in that way. At least that's how it happened for me. Margaret Isaacson: I remember my advisor asking, "What is your dream job?" And I didn't really have a good answer. I wasn't ready, like, "Oh, I want to be teacher," or like, "I want to get a PhD and go into academia," or, "I want to do this type of research forever because I'm super excited about." And I was like, "Well, I like to spend time outside. Maybe a park ranger." I literally oversee staff called park rangers now. So I made it. But I think that brought me to, "Hmm. How can I take..." I really like reading about all this research. I really like digging into it myself. I like looking at under the microscope and making that into a paper. But I didn't see myself necessarily going to grad school. It wasn't like a for sure thing. And it wasn't a certainty for me. It didn't quite set in as that's what I definitely want to do. But I saw all this cool research and wanted to know, "Well, how do we take all this amazing but very specific research and take it and communicate it to the general public? What are they getting out of all the great things that we do here on campus and elsewhere?" And that took me down the path of environmental education and science communication. I think for a little while I thought, "Oh, I'm going to maybe go and figure how to write and become a science communicator." I found local part-time jobs that were environmental education related because that was going to be how I took my expertise and my knowledge, build on that knowledge in other ways, and then inspire other people to maybe they end up getting a PhD. Maybe it's not me, but it might be them, or they're just excited about being outside and learning a new fact about local wildlife. So yeah, it was kind of circuitous. And over the last 10 years or so since finding science communication, I've gone more towards the administrative and managerial side, which is also really exciting. I like flexing those muscles and figuring out how to get a team to work all together and put on that science communication. I'm not in front of the campfire group leading the program anymore, and that's kind of a bummer sometimes, but we make it happen as a team. So you discover different talents along the way as well. Amelia: That was an awesome answer. Thank you so much. I did realize there's one more question on my paper that Rose's kind of leaned into, which is what do you wish you could tell yourself when you were in student's shoes? Margaret Isaacson: Do you wish you could tell yourself last year? Max Jones: I know, right? I do wish that... Because it's very natural that while you're wondering if what you're doing is going to work out, then you put a lot of pressure on yourself. It's like, "Why haven't I figured out what I'm going to do next right now?" And over the process of I guess the last year and a half for me, it's very much like a process of it happens. Progress happens very slowly until it just jumps forward. So you're going to feel like you're stuck and then you're repeating the same patterns a lot. It's like, "Why haven't I gotten this next connection yet? Why haven't I figured it out?" And then it really snaps into place when you least expect it. And so then you finally get that motion forwards and then things start rushing and then life moves faster again, but then it'll slowly trickle back down and then you have to ride the waves of sometimes it moves fast in terms of you're making these good connections and you're moving forward in your projects or in your career, and then other times you have to be very calm and weather the storm a little bit. So I'd say I tell myself to calm down and chill out. Margaret Isaacson: I would second that. "Just relax. It's going to work out. Okay?" I think that I was kind of similar in putting a lot of pressure on myself to do well academically. Again, not really thinking about what I wanted to do post-grad until I was in it. But I think just give yourself some grace and be patient with what you do. Work hard, but you can also be patient and not expect that you're going to do the same thing as your colleague or your friend who is in the same department. Your paths could look completely different. Clearly. Ours are completely different. So talk to your colleagues. Talk to your advisors. See what their experiences are. Ask alumni what their experiences are. But don't think that that is the experience that you have to do or take or follow. There's a lot of options and you can also pivot later. You might get into something right after graduation and then you might find out, "Oh, I'm really good at this one piece of that job and I'm going to pursue that." It's not a straight path. It's not one thing. You can always switch it up. I may switch it up. You never know. Max Jones: Yeah. If I can bounce back off that again, it's not comparing yourself to the people around you [inaudible 00:27:34] critical because then you end up in cycles where the person next to you gets a fellowship and instead of being happy for them and interested in it, you're just like, "Oh, damn. Why don't I have a fellowship yet?" And it really is like, yeah, everyone has a different path that they're going to take throughout this and it just feeds into an imposter syndrome if you let yourself make those comparisons. Margaret Isaacson: A lot of the staff who come and work at the Ecology Center are recent grads. They come and they do part-time work as program instructors. That's what I started out as. And I think I see in them bringing just so much positivity and excitement about their work. I think that's a really great thing to grab on when you're just starting out after graduating in your career. You're going to feel great about yourself if you're doing something you're excited about. You're going to meet people and learn what they do. And the staff that I work with, they work so hard, they cobble together multiple part-time jobs. They're pulling experience from multiple places and it's getting them where they need to be. Not to say that that's the path for everyone, but I think it's just important to keep a positive attitude while you're in it and know that you're not stuck when you start one thing. You don't have to do that for the rest of time. Max Jones: That was beautiful. Amelia: That was beautiful. Thank you. Shai, you want to keep taking questions? Shai: Yeah. For sure. Did anybody have any other questions they want to ask alumni? Sure. Speaker 7: Do you guys feel like your identity ties into what you do? Or do you guys feel like you found parts of yourself doing your work? Even like you said, you kind of trialed a little bit. Do you feel like that kind of connected you more to who you are and even to [inaudible 00:29:27] up to what you do? Max Jones: Yeah. It kind of radically changed how I viewed myself in a way because, yeah, so I'm from Kentucky. I'm from a low-middle-income family. And so coming here I was very out of my elements it felt like a lot of times, surrounded by very elite academic institutions. So I went through a lot of my first second year with a chip on my shoulder. But then I go start working in Latin America where scientists there have to work twice as hard as I do just because they don't speak the same language. And then all of a sudden all of that feelings of angst, I guess, flooded away because I was like everything that I've been angry about or anxious about has just been minuscule on a larger scale. Yeah. I say working in international communities like that has very much changed my perception on life and science and as an industry as a whole. Margaret Isaacson: I would add the industry that I'm in, parks and rec, is very service oriented and I've learned so much about customer service, not from a restaurant job, but from answering 311s and... So. I don't know if everyone knows what 311. You guys know what 311 is, right? Okay. Maybe. Yes. That's Maggie, right? Are you sending me the 311s? No. But I think I've found that it makes me happy to provide a service for a community and you feel fulfilled when you... Even if it's something unglamorous, like cleaning bathrooms, you still feel like, "Oh, I'm impacting people on a regular basis, on a daily basis. And with my small work or local work, it's still important." So I think finding your impact is really a powerful thing, Speaker 7: [inaudible 00:31:29] but they take... Not take away from your [inaudible 00:31:31], but like you said, having that chip on your shoulder when you look back and now that you fulfilled almost in what you're doing, [inaudible 00:31:38]. Margaret Isaacson: I was so stressed back then. You don't need to be stressed. It's okay though. You can be stressed. College is a stressful time. There's a lot going on. You guys have a lot on your plate. You're managing a lot of learning. You're managing a lot of growth. And that's just going to continue. But you're able to take that on. And this is just one experience that's going to teach... College is just one experience that's going to teach you that you're capable of taking that on. You're just going to keep taking on new things. Shai: [inaudible 00:32:13] question? Yeah. Sure. Speaker 8: How do you guys feel about your work-life balance or just your outdoorsy hobbies come [inaudible 00:32:25]? Max Jones: Do you want to say? Margaret Isaacson: Sure. My work-life, so... Okay. Speaker 8: Your balance is [inaudible 00:32:36] by [inaudible 00:32:37] having outdoorsy hobbies and also that in a job. Margaret Isaacson: Oh, I see what you're saying. Interesting. No. Work is still work, even when it's outside, but it's nice when it's outside because you get a little break from your desk. No. I think work-life balance is probably something that you all are learning even now. And it's one of those things that you're going to get into the work world and it's going to look a little bit different. You're going to be tired. But I think if you find the right gig or the right job that's going to be able to build that in and still make time for yourself. And it's important to make time for yourself even in your work. I'm not sure if that was your question, but... Yeah. Do you want to? Max Jones: Yeah. I think I understand exactly what your worry is here because I love outdoors. I love all things nature related. But I have been surrounded by people sometimes when I'm working where it's like we're in the field 10 hours a day and then they come back, they're like, "Wow. That was great, wasn't it?" And I was like, "I'm tired. I want to go home," even though I love what I've done, but then you do come across a lot of... Not a lot, but sometimes you do find scenarios where the people you're with don't view what they're doing necessarily as work. They also view it as very fun. And so then you have to set your own boundaries there where you have to be like, "Yes, I enjoy this work a lot, but this is not what I want to be doing in my free time right now. I don't want to give up another afternoon of my time to go work, even though I enjoy my work." So I have found myself in those dilemmas before where it's like you really enjoy being outside, but also after your 15th hour of it, you're just like, "Okay. Let me go read a book or something." Shai: Good question. Do you have any more question? Cassie Petoskey: I think [inaudible 00:34:28] question about the goal day-to-day. I'm guessing every day is different, but what are you doing in [inaudible 00:34:36]? What are you doing in your outside? What are the activities? And how often? Like 15 hour a day you're outside? That's [inaudible 00:34:47]. What does that look like a day? Walk us through a day. Max Jones: Okay. For me, well, my day-to-day has just changed dramatically because I finished up my field season, but when I was in the field, it would be we're up at 5:45, quick breakfast, and then we go out into the forest, and then... I was setting up camera traps and so we were specifically looking at arboreal cameras and arboreal species, like monkeys and stuff. And so we would set up cameras in the trees. And so to do that, we would have to climb trees. I'd be climbing trees myself. And so that sometimes could entail... If one tree could take almost six hours sometimes just because you'd have to take a slingshot and then put a line up in the tree. I don't want to get too into it, but... Cassie Petoskey: [inaudible 00:35:32]. Max Jones: "Get into it. Get into it." Okay. Do we want the break- Cassie Petoskey: We want to know how you climb. Max Jones: Okay. So you take a big slingshot, and then you shoot a weight with a string on it over a branch that you think can support your weight. And then you... I say think because you test it. And then you tie a climbing rope. You pull the climbing rope over. And then I just hook into a harness and then a few climbing equipments. And then I go up. And then sometimes, depending on if the tree is difficult, if there's ants in it or something, it can take me a few hours up there too. Then I took my data and then I'd come back down. And the idea was always we would do two a day. Sometimes we would push for three a day. And so that could take like... We could be working from sunrise right up until sunset. There was a few times when I was still up in a tree and I'd had to use a headlamp to finish up up there because we were just pushing so hard by the end of the day. Margaret Isaacson: Very cool. Max Jones: Now- Margaret Isaacson: Can you teach a tree climbing program for the Ecology Center, please? Max Jones: I'd love to. Margaret Isaacson: Perfect. We'll talk later. I want to tell you what my day-to-day looked like when I first started out and then where I am now because it's very different. When I was first starting on as a program instructor, so post-grad, I would come to work, I would write a lesson plan or write up a program, decide what materials I needed, gathered them. I took care of animals on a daily basis that we had for educational purposes. And then often I would be going out and leading that program. Sometimes it was a family campfire. Sometimes it was a critter visit, where I'm holding up animals and showing them to kids and letting them pet them. Super fun. Now my work is a little bit more behind the scenes. So I do a lot of emailing and a lot of administrative tasks. I coordinate with a lot of different departments, whether that's greenways, to make sure that the athletic fields are ready for the sports season, or touching base with my seasonal staff to make sure that they're doing their rounds on the lakefront bathrooms, or planning, budgeting and meeting with the program coordinators who are actually planning programs. So it's a lot of, like I said, more backend work and making sure that when we present these programs through the program instructors, the position that I used to do, to the public or through summer camp, that it's kind of ready to go, we're using taxpayer money wisely and well, and that the city has services that are meeting their needs and expectations. So it's a lot of email and payroll and some unglamorous things, but we also get outside occasionally. Shai: Do other people have question? Speaker 9: Well, with the... Thank you so much for being here for answering all our questions, but with the summer coming around, I'm sure many of us in this room are looking for internships and jobs and any experience in the field. Where do you recommend we look? And then a follow-up that would be how do you prepare for interviews? Margaret Isaacson: If you're local, Chicago Environmental Network has a ton of opportunities, wide-ranging, seasonal, full-time, part-time. That's a great site. Yeah. Of course. Chicago Environmental Network. And they have a job board. I think they also have volunteer postings. We always post our positions there and all of the area nature science adjacent companies and organizations post on there as well. Shai: We'll find that [inaudible 00:39:22] a follow-up. Speaker 9: Thank you. Max Jones: I'd say it depends a lot on what kind of work you want to get into, but I know that there's a really good job listing board. It's like UT Austin or something. I'm sure Maggie or Trish know it. But it really kind of depends on what you want to get into. Historically, the Scientists in the Parks have been a very competitive but credible internship. I don't know if they're operating this summer because of everything happening. The Shedd Aquarium I've also heard has some pretty interesting opportunities for research assistants over the summer. I had a friend who did actually like scuba diving with them and then went to found mussels in one of the Chicago rivers or something. It was pretty cool. And then I've also heard some good things about the Audubon Society. Sometimes they periodically have stuff around here. Besides that, I'd cold call or cold email professors because a lot of them have... Either they directly have a project that they might want you to work on or sometimes they'll redirect you to Master's students or PhDs. Right now in the listserv that I'm on in the Chicago Botanic Garden, we get emails forwarded to us from students at Northwestern being like, "Hi. Is anybody looking for help this summer? I'd love to work." Margaret Isaacson: I think I was on some environmental listserv of some kind. I'll try to track it down and send it to Cassie. And this was a while ago. But I remember... Gosh. Anyway. It took me to Great Basin Institute, which is out west, but they do all kinds of research and experiential education in the western states. I did that for a summer. One year I was basically a camp counselor, but they also have a lot of research positions as well that are seasonal. Max Jones: Lincoln Park Zoo also has some really cool stuff down there. The Urban Wildlife Division is... I wanted to work with them every single year I was an undergrad. It just never worked out. Yeah. Shai: [inaudible 00:41:16]. Do they have any other questions [inaudible 00:41:16]? Amelia: How do we take care of the internship [inaudible 00:41:19]? Speaker 11: When was your last interview? Margaret Isaacson: What was that? Speaker 11: [inaudible 00:41:27]. Margaret Isaacson: My last interview was two years ago, a year and a half. Yeah. So pretty recent. The way I prepared for that interview, I had a little insight being already in the department and the division that I was applying for a promotion. So I kind of knew some of the questions that they might ask me, but you can... The way that I did it is I like to think of questions that I might be asked, go ahead and answer them and just write down ideas and thoughts. For my most recent position, I also thought about what I would want as a manager. So I was applying for the position that had been overseeing what I... That's so confusing. I was a program coordinator and I applied for a promotion. So I thought, "As a program coordinator, what would I want to see in a manager? And what projects would I want to prioritize?" And I brainstormed those. But yeah, just thinking through questions that they might ask. Most interviews will ask some of those classic questions. They're always going to start out with, "Why are you applying to this job?" So your elevator pitch is really important and can speak to your passion and also experience. Yeah. Just jotting down some notes. That works for me. Maybe it doesn't work for everyone, but that's what I did. Max Jones: I haven't been in a lot of interviews at this stage of my career, honestly. Most of my interviews have been very informal conversations. And so I think that's just by luck how I've moved forward. Right now, I just haven't had any interviews, to be honest. So think Margaret's advice is sage. Margaret Isaacson: I guess I could add more. Yeah. I also have done a lot of interviews where I didn't get the job too. So sometimes you just don't know exactly what they're looking for, and that's okay. It doesn't mean that you're not experienced and that you're not knowledgeable of what you do. It just might not be what they're looking for for that position, or someone has just a little bit more in a particular area that they're excited about. I've also been on the other side of interviews where I get to see all the candidates and hear what they have to offer and see what does it look like for our department if we hire this person instead of this person and they have different experience and we're not really sure how to staff this new position, and the interviewees inform the position. So that can happen as well, where it's not necessarily just... Sometimes it's based on a feeling a little bit, which sounds kind of crazy, but... Yeah. Been on both sides. I think you can practice a lot for an interview. You can hone your speaking skills. You can keep your answers brief but interesting and show your passion, and then just know that you're going to do interviews and some of them are going to work out and some of them aren't. And that's okay. Amelia: [inaudible 00:44:31] just kind of silly. Do people ever reference the TV show in your workplace? Margaret Isaacson: All the time. One of my co-workers has Leslie Knope on her desktop. Yeah. For sure. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. Amelia: [inaudible 00:44:46]. Margaret Isaacson: No. There are moments where we have situations we're like, "This could be a Parks and Rec episode. We should just start our own show." Yeah. Cassie Petoskey: Thank you both so much for being here. And I know we have a few more minutes, so students, if you all have the questions or just want to make connections, we'll share out LinkedIn profiles after, but I encourage you to come up and chat with the alumni for a few minutes here. But really thank you all so much for coming out. Thanks, Geoclub, for bringing forward this idea. And thanks to Max and Margaret for being here. So... Amelia: Thanks again. Shai: Thanks [inaudible 00:45:28]. Cassie Petoskey: [inaudible 00:45:28].  

Send us a textJoin Dr. Chastain and Ginger as they review:Hazards of head-shyness in horsesCauses of head-shynessHow to prevent common causes for head-shynessLink to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

SummaryIn this episode of the e-commerce content creation podcast, Daniel discusses the importance of studio audits and the physical layout of studios in enhancing workflow efficiency. He introduces the concept of workshops aimed at improving digital workflows and emphasizes the need for identifying quick wins within studio processes. The conversation highlights the interdependence of studio workflows, the challenges of managing exceptions in production, and the critical role of documentation and last but not least, the importance of celebrating team wins and continuous improvement in studio operations.Key TakeawaysThe studio audit focuses on both physical layout and workflow.Internal tools can sometimes outperform external solutions.Physical space impacts digital workflow significantly.Workshops can help identify and improve digital processes.Quick wins are essential for team morale and efficiency.Studio workflows are highly interdependent and complex.Managing exceptions is crucial in production processes.Documentation is often lacking and relies on tribal knowledge.Celebrating wins boosts team motivation and recognition.Continuous improvement is key to operational success.CreditsHosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Send us a textImagine sitting across from the woman who pioneered an entire field of human-animal connection. Penelope Smith, often called the grandmother of interspecies telepathic communication, shares her extraordinary journey on the Spiritual Spotlight Series with refreshing clarity and wisdom.From her earliest memories, Smith refused to accept the prevailing notion that animals were "less than" humans. While society insisted animals couldn't think or feel deeply, she knew differently. Her unwavering certainty eventually led her to become a trailblazer in the 1970s, developing methods to help people reconnect with their natural ability to communicate telepathically with animals.What makes this conversation particularly fascinating is how Smith frames animal communication not as a special gift for the few, but as our birthright that's been socialized out of us. "Most people are socialized out of all their intuitive abilities," she explains. "We're a very analytical society." The path back to this connection requires shifting from our logical minds to deep listening—heart to heart, soul to soul.Perhaps most profound is Smith's observation that animals have never forgotten their spiritual nature, while humans have. Animals don't get caught in mental loops or identity crises. When asked about their purpose, they respond with clarity—whether it's a dog who says "I'm here to help my person through tough times" or another who simply wants a peaceful retirement after a difficult previous life. This clarity offers humans a mirror for our own spiritual journey.After decades of teaching worldwide, Smith is offering an unprecedented opportunity—a comprehensive six-month certification program starting September 8th through the Shift Network. For those who've wished to study with this pioneering teacher, this represents a rare chance to learn methods and wisdom she hasn't had the opportunity to share before.Ready to discover what your animal companions have been trying to tell you? Visit animaltalk.net to learn more about telepathic communication and register for Smith's upcoming programs. Your relationship with animals—and yourself—may never be the same.Penelope's new 6-month training program: https://tinyurl.com/jvatc3s2 Support the showWe hope you found the episode to be enlightening and insightful. Our goal is to create content that not only entertains but also helps you grow spiritually and connect with your inner self. If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to like, subscribe, and write a review. Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us and helps us to improve the quality of our content and reach a wider audience. We believe that by sharing knowledge and insights about spirituality, we can help to inspire positive change and personal growth. So, if you find our podcast to be meaningful and informative, we encourage you to share it with your friends and family. You TubeFacebookFacebook Group The Road To Spiritual AwakeningSpiritual Awakening 101 Guide

Send us a textThis week Dr. Chastain and Ginger are ready to tell you about:Housing needs for chickensAssessments of the quality of poultry housingSpecial housing needs for turkeys, ducks, and geeseLink to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

Join Laura Cassiday and Joanna Wachowiak-Finlaison as they chat and chuckle with Frania Shelley-Grielen about introducing cats, inter-cat aggression, and other topics related to multi-cat households.Frania Shelley-Grielen is a professional animal behaviorist, dog trainer, and educator who holds a Masters Degrees in Animal Behavior from Hunter College and a Masters Degree in Urban Planning from New York University, complimenting her insight into behavior with an in-depth understanding of the built environment. She is a licensed Pet Care Technician Instructor, a registered therapy dog handler, a certified Doggone safe Bite Safety Instructor, and a professional member of the Pet Professional Guild and the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. Frania specializes in behavior modification work and training with cats, dogs, and birds and humane management for urban wildlife.Frania is the author of Cats and Dogs: Living With and Looking at Companion Animals From Their Point of View. She founded AnimalBehaviorist.us in 2009 to share her work on how welfare-based, science-focused strategies and solutions from the canine and feline point of view are more effective and make everyone happier, including the humans. Frania also taught the ASPCA's Fundamentals of Dog Care course for the Houlton Institute where she is on the zoology faculty. She has worked on research projects at the Wildlife Conservation Society, the American Museum of Natural History, and the ASPCA in NYC. Frania presents and consults in the metropolitan New York area, nationally and internationally. She lives in New York City with her family and cats and dogs.

SummaryIn this episode of The E-commerce Content Creation Podcast, Daniel Jester and creative director/photo manager turned creative ops consultant Kelly Garthwait dive into a candid, exploratory conversation about authenticity in visual storytelling and the tensions introduced by AI and automation in creative roles. Their dialogue weaves through the influence of social media on brand identity, the importance of consistency in e-commerce visuals, the enduring value of printed photography, and how storytelling creates meaningful connections between brands and audiences.Key TakeawaysAuthenticity is more than aesthetics – it's about coherence, trust, and meaningful storytelling.Consumers can feel when something is off, even if they can't articulate it.A brand's inconsistent tone across platforms (e.g., social media vs. streaming ads) can erode trust and feel “two-timing.”Consistent product photography builds customer trust and reduces friction in the shopping experience.Even subtle mismatches in lighting, angles, or image quality can raise subconscious red flags.Daniel shared HauteLook's strategy of using coordinated color themes to maintain daily visual cohesion.AI can accelerate execution but cannot replace taste or vision.The most successful creative applications of AI come from teams who understand what good looks like and guide the tools accordingly.There's value in observing trends before overcommitting to tools with fleeting hype cycles.Storytelling provides the essential context that transforms content into connection.Visual narratives, recurring motifs, and Easter eggs (like Daniel's Signs of the Zodiac series) offer richer engagement.In-person experiences with printed photography or museum exhibits deepen emotional resonance far beyond screen-based consumption.There's a growing need to reinvest in creative direction as a function that ensures cohesion, especially in content-heavy environments.Creative leadership helps bridge the gap between fast execution (often with AI) and meaningful brand expression.Physical prints offer an emotional and sensory connection that screens can't replicate.Both Kelly and Daniel emphasized the power of printed art to evoke memory, emotion, and a sense of home.Tools like Zapier and automated workflows can relieve friction in production processes.The goal is not to remove creative roles, but to enable them by reducing logistical bottlenecks (like asset review and approvals).CreditsHosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Send us a textJoin Dr. Chastain and Ginger to learn more about predators of pets and other animals, including:Predators of pets and livestock in the U.S.Coyote behaviorDeterrents against coyotes and other predatorsLink to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

Dr. Kelly O'Neil breaks down details of our latest research project focused on poult behavior and development. Join as she walks us step-by-step through a poult's life - from egg collection to incubation, hatching, imprinting, and development until flight. Watch this episode (filled with poult footage) on our YouTube! We've launched a comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions that specialize in habitat management and population management for wild turkeys. Enroll Now!    Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Publications Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Publications Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow  UF Game Lab @ufgamelab, YouTube   Want to help support the podcast? Our friends at Grounded Brand have an option to donate directly to Wild Turkey Science at checkout. Thank you in advance for your support!   Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund  Do you have a topic you'd like us to cover? Leave us a review or send us an email at wildturkeyscience@gmail.com!   Please help us by taking our (QUICK) listener survey - Thank you!  Check out the NEW DrDisturbance YouTube channel! DrDisturbance YouTube Watch these podcasts on YouTube Leave a podcast rating for a chance to win free gear! Get a 10% discount  at Grounded Brand by using the code ‘TurkeyScience' at checkout! This podcast is made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow, a grassroots organization dedicated to the wild turkey. To learn more about TFT, go to turkeysfortomorrow.org.    Music by Artlist.io Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak  

Dr. Kelly O'Neil breaks down details of our latest research project focused on poult behavior and development. Join as she walks us step-by-step through a poult's life - from egg collection to incubation, hatching, imprinting, and development until flight. Watch this episode (filled with poult footage) on our YouTube! We've launched a comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions that specialize in habitat management and population management for wild turkeys. Enroll Now!    Dr. Marcus Lashley @DrDisturbance, Publications Dr. Will Gulsby @dr_will_gulsby, Publications Turkeys for Tomorrow @turkeysfortomorrow  UF Game Lab @ufgamelab, YouTube   Want to help support the podcast? Our friends at Grounded Brand have an option to donate directly to Wild Turkey Science at checkout. Thank you in advance for your support!   Donate to wild turkey research: UF Turkey Donation Fund , Auburn Turkey Donation Fund  Do you have a topic you'd like us to cover? Leave us a review or send us an email at wildturkeyscience@gmail.com!   Please help us by taking our (QUICK) listener survey - Thank you!  Check out the NEW DrDisturbance YouTube channel! DrDisturbance YouTube Watch these podcasts on YouTube Leave a podcast rating for a chance to win free gear! Get a 10% discount  at Grounded Brand by using the code ‘TurkeyScience' at checkout! This podcast is made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow, a grassroots organization dedicated to the wild turkey. To learn more about TFT, go to turkeysfortomorrow.org.    Music by Artlist.io Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak  

John Jay College of Criminal Justice colleagues, Dr. Nathan Lents (Biology) and Dr. Olivera Jokić (English and Gender Studies), discuss Dr. Lents's new book, The Sexual Evolution: How 500 million years of sex, gender and mating shape modern relationships. Visit IndoorVoicesPodcast.com for more info.

Send us a textJoin Dr. Chastain and Ginger for explanations on:Sense of smell in small companion animalsAromatherapy for handling animalsManaging odors that adversely affect handling of animalsLink to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

Join Niki Tudge as she chats and chuckles with Frania Shelley-Grielen about her book, Behavior Matters for Cats and Dogs, winner of the Dog Writers of America's "Best Behavior Book 2024" and the Dogwise "Best Book of 2024.”Niki and Frania discussed both the cat and dog sections of the book and snippets from the chapters on aggression, dog bite prevention, and some of the individual cat and dog skills.Frania Shelley-Grielen is a professional animal behaviorist, dog trainer, and educator who holds a Masters Degrees in Animal Behavior from Hunter College and a Masters Degree in Urban Planning from New York University, complimenting her insight into behavior with an in-depth understanding of the built environment. She is a licensed Pet Care Technician Instructor, a registered therapy dog handler, a certified Doggone safe Bite Safety Instructor, and a professional member of the Pet Professional Guild and the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. Frania specializes in behavior modification work and training with cats, dogs, and birds and humane management for urban wildlife.Frania is the author of Cats and Dogs: Living With and Looking at Companion Animals From Their Point of View. She founded AnimalBehaviorist.us in 2009 to share her work on how welfare-based, science-focused strategies and solutions from the canine and feline point of view are more effective and make everyone happier, including the humans. Frania also taught the ASPCA's Fundamentals of Dog Care course for the Houlton Institute where she is on the zoology faculty. She has worked on research projects at the Wildlife Conservation Society, the American Museum of Natural History, and the ASPCA in NYC. Frania presents and consults in the metropolitan New York area, nationally and internationally. She lives in New York City with her family and cats and dogs.

The ‘bone collector' caterpillar covers itself with body partsIt's like something from a horror movie. A creeping, carnivorous creature that in a macabre attempt at disguise and protection, covers itself with the dismembered remains of dead insects. This super-rare caterpillar is one of the strangest insects in the world. It lives on spider webs inside of trees and rock crevices in a 15 square kilometre radius on the Hawaiian island of O'ahu. Daniel Rubinoff, from the University of Hawaii Insect Museum, found about 62 of these caterpillars over the past 20 years. Their research was published in the journal Science. If a dolphin pees in the water, does anybody know it?Researchers observing river dolphins in Brazil were first surprised to see the animals turning on their backs and urinating into the air, and then further amazed to see other dolphins sampling the falling stream. The Canadian and Brazilian team, led by Claryana Araújo-Wang from the CetAsia Research Group, believe this aerial urination may be a way to communicate dominance among males. The research was published in the journal Behavioural Processes.How the snowball Earth made life bloom on our planet700 million years ago our planet was frozen from pole to pole during a period known as snowball Earth. Glaciers at that time scoured deep into the continents below like a giant bulldozer, grinding the rock into fine sediments. In a new study in the journal Geology, scientists found that as the glaciers melted, a lot of that loose material was injected very rapidly into the oceans. Branden Murphy, from St. Francis Xavier University, said this chemical cocktail fertilized the oceans, and set the stage for rise of multicellular complex life on Earth.  How a team of microbiologists use cars to sample air across the countryUnderstanding the distribution of bacteria that might be a concern for human or animal health across an entire country is a huge job. But a team from Laval used a very clever shortcut to gather their data. They collected car air filters from vehicles across the nation, and looked in them to see what they sucked up. They found regional differences in the antimicrobial resistance genes specific to the agricultural activities and environmental factors at each location. Paul George, from Laval University, was the lead researcher on the study published in the journal Environmental DNA.Albertan obsidian artifacts are the end point of a widespread Indigenous trade networkObsidian — volcanic glass used to make super-sharp tools — is found as artifacts from chips to blades to arrowheads at hundreds of sites across the Rockies of Alberta and B.C., dating back thousands of years. However, there are no volcanos in the area so archaeologists are using this volcanic glass to chart Indigenous trade routes through North America. New research, led by Timothy Allan of Ember Archeology, has traced the obsidian's point of origin to a site nearly 1,000 kilometres away, suggesting the material travelled over long distances and passed through many hands. The research was published in the Journal of Field Archaeology.Do his gills ring a bell? Fish can recognize humansScientists at a Mediterranean research station kept noticing that particular fish would follow them around whenever they would try and do experiments. To find out if the fish were actually capable of recognizing individual humans, a team from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany decided to turn this annoying behaviour into a scientific experiment. They found that the fish were indeed capable of remembering which humans had shared tasty treats in the past. The research was published in the journal Biology Letters.

SummaryIn this episode of the E-commerce Content Creation Podcast, host Daniel Jester discusses treating in-house studios as media companies. He emphasizes the need for organizational respect, investment in creative teams, and the complexity of media production processes. Daniel shares insights from recent workshops and highlights the challenges faced by studio teams, including ad hoc requests and sample management issues. He advocates for a shift in mindset towards recognizing the strategic value of creative teams in e-commerce operations.Key TakeawaysEvery company with an in-house studio operates as a media company.In-house studios need robust support and workflows.Creative teams are essential for e-commerce success.Organizational respect is crucial for studio efficiency.Ad hoc requests can disrupt production processes.Sample management is vital for studio operations.Investment in creative teams leads to better outcomes.Understanding the complexity of media production is key.Protecting production time enhances efficiency.Shifting mindsets towards in-house studios is necessary.CreditsHosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

How's tricks you lovely Bookshelvers?It's all go here at PACT HQ and over the last few weeks we've had the absolute pleasure of talking with some amazing guests (all of which will be invading your earholes soon enough). This means that every fortnight we can't contain our excitement when we know release day is incoming. SO.... Without further ado we bring you yet another wonderful human working in the dog profession Clara Hewson! For those of you who aren't yet familiar with The Muzzle Movement we can't wait to share Clara's story with you. It is very important though that we state in all honesty that Clara (and her amazing team) aren't just make muzzles, they're building a movement! It was a genuinely inspirational chat that left Nat and Steve feeling enthused. We cover LOADS, Clara gets down to business talking about bringing her muzzle idea to life! Inspired by loss and a desire to make things better, she reveals the ups and downs of launching a start-up – from finding the funds to leaning on community power. Hear first-hand why she's so passionate about educating everyone on muzzles. She even explains how design choices are helping to give muzzles a much-needed image makeover!!! We chat about giving muzzled dogs the visibility they deserve and the advocacy efforts supporting their humans AND, learn about the values at the heart of her work. Clara also shares insights into the challenges within the dog world and her exciting plans for future projects to keep pushing dog welfare forward. All that and much more including Nat and Steve updating everyone on Dave the Sparrow and a welcome return of Natalie's Injury Odyssey.Go on... Slip us in your auris interna. You won't regret it.Link to the Muzzle Movements Website hereLink to DOGX 2025 Tickets here

Send us a textThis week Dr. Chastain and Ginger will guide you in how to handle lizards, including:Lizard handling hazardsHandling techniques for small lizardsPrecautions for handling large lizardsLink to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

Send us a textDr. Chastain and Ginger invite you to join them for a description of equine longeing, including:What is longeing?What are the benefits of longeing?How is longeing properly performed?Link to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

SummaryIn this episode, Daniel Jester is joined by studio operations and photography manager Brent Maynard, who shares stories and insights from his unique experience managing photo studios for a major pet brand. Brent dives into the complexities of working with animal talent, from cats and dogs to guinea pigs, birds, and even cockroaches, and explains the specialized studio workflows required to keep animals, handlers, and crew safe and productive. He and Daniel talk about their shared love of optimizing studio layouts, reflect on the importance of removing obstacles for creative teams, and explore how the presence of animal talent transforms everything from set design to crew behavior. It's a fascinating look at the intersection of operational excellence and animal chaos, with a few screaming guinea pigs along the way.Key TakeawaysAnimal talent adds layers of complexity to studio operations, requiring specialized workflows to ensure safety and smooth production.Studio layout changes can significantly improve efficiency, even without new investments. Small shifts in shelving and table placement led to measurable productivity gains in Brent's previous roles.Brent's approach emphasizes reducing physical strain and mental load on creative teams, which often results in better output and less burnout.Studios working with animals must prioritize safety above all else, including airlock-style door systems, species separation, and cautious scheduling.Pet behavior affects production. Even subtle stress signals can compromise a shoot, which is why the pet team plays a critical role in monitoring and interpreting animal body language.Noise and tension on set can disrupt animal performances, so maintaining a calm and low-stress environment is essential for success.The pet team serves as both handler and advocate, ensuring that animals are safe, comfortable, and not being pushed beyond their limits.Animals with professional experience are more predictable, but many shoots also involve non-working pets, which require more patience and flexibility.Unusual animal talent like birds, guinea pigs, and even cockroaches come with highly specific needs. Guinea pigs may scream, birds may curse, and fish are generally not worth the risk due to their fragility.Brent is passionate about studio operations and finding thoughtful, efficient solutions. His experience with complex sets and talent makes him a valuable resource for any production team.CreditsHosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Individual decision-making and collective animal behavior Science Sessions are brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, National Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of work published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), plus a broad range of scientific news about discoveries that affect the world around us. In this episode, researchers explore advances in the modeling of collective animal behaviors. In this episode, we cover: •[00:00] Introduction •[00:48] Conor Heins incorporated cognitive processes into a model of collective behavior. •[02:13] Eva Kanso analyzed how confinement influences collective behavior. •[03:41] Andreu Puy considered the role of speed in the leader-follower dynamics of schooling fish. •[04:45] Daniel Kronauer explored how a colony of clonal raider ants collectively responds to rising temperatures. •[06:02] Sonja Friman quantified the energy savings of starlings flying in complex formations. •[07:27] Daniele Carlesso modeled how weaver ants decide to form chains to explore their environment. •[08:43] Ashkaan Fahimipour explored how reef fish minimize the spread of misinformation. •[10:11] Clare Doherty explored the individualism of terrestrial hermit crabs moving in groups. •[11:44] Final thoughts and conclusion. About Our Guests: Conor Heins  Machine Learning Researcher Verses AI / Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Eva Kanso  Zohrab A. Kaprielian Fellow in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering University of Southern California Andreu Puy  PhD Student Polytechnic University of Catalonia Daniel Kronauer  Stanley S. and Sydney R. Shuman Professor Rockefeller University Sonja Friman  Postdoctoral Fellow Lund University Daniele Carlesso  Postdoctoral Researcher University of Konstanz Ashkaan Fahimipour  Assistant Professor Florida Atlantic University Clare Doherty  Research Associate Ulster University View related content here: https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2320239121 https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2406293121 https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2309733121 https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2123076119 https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2319971121 https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2216217120 https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2215428120 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-11469-1 Follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts for more captivating discussions on scientific breakthroughs! Visit Science Sessions on PNAS.org: https://www.pnas.org/about/science-sessions-podcast  Follow PNAS: Twitter/X Facebook LinkedIn YouTube Sign up for the PNAS Highlights newsletter

On Monday, a magnitude 5.2 earthquake shook Southern California. Surveillance video captured reaction from around the state - but one video in particular went viral: Elephants forming an “alert circle.” Mindy Albright, curator of mammals at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, joins us to shares her unique insights into this unique behavior by the family of elephants at the park and the lessons for US during uncertain times. Plus - how you can have a sleepover at the park!  Want More Nonpartisan News?  SUPPORT OUR MISSION   Shop our gear!  If you'd like to help support SmartHER News' mission of a free, independent, nonpartisan press – here's how you can become a SCOOP insider: https://www.scoop.smarthernews.com/get-the-inside-scoop/    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smarthernews/  Website: https://smarthernews.com/  YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/smarthernews 

Join Niki Tudge and Judy Luther as they chat and chuckle with Frania Shelley-Grielen about behavior matters for cats and dogs.Frania Shelley-Grielen is a professional animal behaviorist, dog trainer, and educator who holds a Masters Degrees in Animal Behavior from Hunter College and a Masters Degree in Urban Planning from New York University, complimenting her insight into behavior with an in-depth understanding of the built environment. She is a licensed Pet Care Technician Instructor, a registered therapy dog handler, a certified Doggone safe Bite Safety Instructor, and a professional member of the Pet Professional Guild and the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. Frania specializes in behavior modification work and training with cats, dogs, and birds and humane management for urban wildlife.Frania is the author of Cats and Dogs: Living With and Looking at Companion Animals From Their Point of View. She founded AnimalBehaviorist.us in 2009 to share her work on how welfare-based, science-focused strategies and solutions from the canine and feline point of view are more effective and make everyone happier, including the humans. Frania also taught the ASPCA's Fundamentals of Dog Care course for the Houlton Institute where she is on the zoology faculty. She has worked on research projects at the Wildlife Conservation Society, the American Museum of Natural History, and the ASPCA in NYC. Frania presents and consults in the metropolitan New York area, nationally and internationally. She lives in New York City with her family and cats and dogs.

Send us a textThis week Dr Chastain and Ginger will alert you to dangers in handling total confinement hogs, including:Damage to hearingRespiratory impairmentBite woundsLink to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

Send us a textIf you like pet rabbits, join Dr. Chastain and Ginger to hear about:Behaviors of ancestors of the modern domestic rabbitDaily grooming behaviors of pet rabbitsTerritorial and maternal aggression of pet rabbitsLink to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

Have you ever been stressed out? Were you experiencing eustress, distress, or toxic stress? Do you know what factors in your life have directly affected your stress threshold? Join the Amys and their bee-guiling guest, Dr. Kristina Spaulding - the stress expert - and founder of Science Matters Academy of Animal Behavior, as we discuss all the F words that have to do with stress and how it affects our bodies. We touch on the important areas of the brain that deal with stress and some strategies for better coping.Grab a dictionary and a cocktail, and get up to speed on the latest buzzzzzz, courtesy of your favorite VBees

Send us a textThis week Dr. Chastain and Ginger delve into:Physical characteristics of prey animals and predator animalsHunting tactics of predator animals and defense techniques of prey animalsAnimal perceptions of humans as predators or as preyLink to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

Happy Spring Time Bookshelvers!As the temperatures are rising in the UK and spring has truly sprung we thought it would be a great time to spring clean our noggins about all things dog businesses. We are thrilled this week to bring you a talk with the wonderful Gretta Ford. Not only is Gretta a member of PACT, an ABTC Registered Certificated Clinical Animal Behaviourist (CCAB), a full member of the APBC and FABC (which is pretty darn impressive) but Gretta is also a business strategist for trainers and behaviourists! Steve and Nat speak from experience when they say that Gretta has helped them out with all sorts in terms of the business side of PACT and we wanted an informal chat that would be beneficial to people with both existing businesses in the dog training world AND those of you starting out. We cover A LOT! Including: The challenges faced by dog trainers in building successful businesses, The importance of having that “business mindset”, the crowded market for dog training services, and the emotional burdens that come with running a business, the need for support and fresh perspectives in the industry, the significance of focusing on one's own business and the importance of emotional health in the face of external pressures. We talk about the dreaded imposter syndrome and the importance of a stoic mindset. We explore strategies for effective marketing, the significance of having a strong online presence through a website, and the challenges of navigating social media. The discussion also touches on the potential for passive income streams, the role of gratitude in professional relationships, and the environmental impact of business practices in the dog training industry. We also chatted about the super interesting topic of the significance of aligning personal and business values, particularly in the dog training industry AND niching in dog training. All that as well as hearing all about Gretta's journey! All that along with some waffle from Nat and Steve about their brand spanking NEW FREE course and haberdashery's and what you may find within one… don't ask.You know you'll be have a better brain for listening so what on earth are you waiting for? Get it in your lug holes human!LINKS:Link to Gretta's amazing Set Up To Succeed website hereLink to Gretta's Dog Training & Behaviour website hereLink to PACTS free Breed & Body Language Course here

Send us a textShort Summary: Do elephants and other animals have language-like abilities, such as the ability to use individual names to refer to themselves and others?About the guest: Michael Pardo, PhD studies animal behavior at Cornell University, where he focused on animal communication and cognition. His work includes extensive field research with African elephants in Kenya.Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.Episode Summary: Michael Pardo, PhD talks about his research on animal communication, focusing on whether African savanna elephants use vocal "names" to address each other. They explore the broader context of vocal communication across species like dolphins, parrots, and marmosets, discussing how these systems compare to human language and what they reveal about its evolution. Dr. Pardo shares details of his fieldwork in Kenya, elephant social structures, and their behaviors like mourning the dead, while also touching on the challenges and joys of studying animals in their natural habitats.Key Takeaways:Elephants may use unique vocal rumbles to address specific individuals.Dolphins use signature whistles as "calling cards," sometimes imitating others' whistles to get their attention, hinting at a form of naming.Elephant society features female-led family groups and dispersing males.Elephants show intriguing behaviors like visiting carcasses and covering them with dirt, suggesting an awareness of death uncommon in most animals.Human language evolution may have evolved gradually from simpler communication systems, as seen in various species, rather than emerging suddenly.Studying less charismatic animals like chickens could uncover surprisingly complex communication, broadening our understanding of cognition in nature.Related episode:M&M #20: Language, Symbolic Cognition, Evolution, Origins of the Human Mind Support the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, etc. at the M&M Substack Affiliates: Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Use code MIND for 10% off. Readwise: Organize and share what you read. Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off. For all the ways you can support my efforts

In this second part of our special Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast episode celebrating International Women's Day, Dr. Jennifer Van Os from the University of Wisconsin-Madison discusses the impact of air speeds on dairy cow welfare. She shares groundbreaking research on how different air speeds influence cow behavior, milk production, and overall comfort, especially in heat-stress conditions. Learn how optimizing barn ventilation can enhance dairy cattle well-being and productivity. Listen now on all major platforms!"Fans not only reduced thermal regulatory responses but also restored lying time, which had never been documented before."Meet the guest: Dr. Jennifer Van Os is an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in Animal Welfare at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She earned her Ph.D. in Animal Behavior from UC Davis and completed postdoctoral research at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on understanding and improving the quality of life for dairy animals.Click to read the full research articles:Effect of different air speeds at cow resting height in freestalls on heat stress responses and resting behavior in lactating cows in WisconsinConsistent stall air speeds in commercial dairy farms are associated with less variability in cow lying timesWhat will you learn: (00:00) Highlight(01:21) Introduction (01:50) Research insights (03:43) Effect of different air speeds (04:42) Impact on cow behavior (05:59) Cow lying times (07:07) Practical farm applications (09:42) Closing thoughtsThe Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by the innovative companies:* Adisseo- Volac- Evonik- Kemin- Virtus Nutrition

Visit us at shapedbydog.com    Recently, dog training advocate Zak George asked me about crossover dog trainers, and framed the question in such a different way that it inspired replying with a podcast episode. When I crossed over from balanced training to reinforcement based training in 1996, many people asked me why and told me it would not work. I'm sharing my start in dog training, pivotal moments, people and dogs that led me to change my approach, what I learned about myself along the way, and the reasons I never went back.    In this episode, you'll hear:   • About my transition to becoming a crossover dog trainer. • The question from Zak George that inspired this episode. • When I decided to leave balanced training behind. • What I learned from my terrier puppy, Shelby. • The book that changed my thinking - Don't Shoot the Dog! by Karen Pryor. • When I first saw true autonomy in dog training and how choice transformed my approach. • About my "Shaping Badly" era. • How learning from Bob and Marian Bailey helped me refine my training with clarity and intention. • The shift to shaping with success. • Why judgment holds trainers back. • That change is possible. • Reasons trainers resist crossing over to a positive reinforcement approach. • A special offer for podcast listeners who want to be coached by me and my team.   Special Discounts to Join or Gift our Online Programs Check out our 300TH Episode & 5th Anniversary Celebration Page - https://dogsthat.com/celebration-central/   Resources:   1. Zak George - https://www.youtube.com/@zakgeorge 2. Podcast Episode 146: Balanced Dog Training: Does It Really Exist? - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/146/ 3. Book: Don't Shoot The Dog! By Karen Pryor - https://shop.clickertraining.com/en-ca/products/dont-shoot-the-dog-karen-pryor?srsltid=AfmBOoqkL4DLKYAPB1xQMDtJGYDwa1AR0r-AdPOhXo5LFMYe2REoECS7&variant=33778264965258 4. Podcast Episode 34: Time Outs for Dogs: Does Your Dog Need One? - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/34/ 5. Bob and Marian Bailey: Behavior by Bailey - http://www.behavior1.com/ 6. Podcast Episode 245: Make Dog Training Easy! Quick Guide To Antecedent Arrangements - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/245/ 7. Podcast Episode 71: Pro Dog Trainer's Secret to Help Your Naughty Dog - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/71/ 8. Podcast Episode 295: Fear Of Criticism? Why Facing The Camera Is The First Step To Becoming A Better Dog Trainer - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/295/ 9. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior - https://avsab.org/ 10. The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants - https://iaabc.org/ 11. Podcast Episode 297: Why In 2025 We Still Have Dog Trainers Who Believe “Reinforcement Dog Training Doesn't Work” - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/297/ 12. Podcast Episode 290: The Red Flag Of Dominance Based Training: Why It's Hurting Your Dog And What To Do Instead - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/290/ 13. DogsThat YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DogsThat 14. DogsThat YouTube Playlists - https://www.youtube.com/@DogsThat/playlists 15. Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube - https://youtu.be/rajGh9u8gkw

Send us a textIn this episode, Dr. Chastain and Ginger will help you understand:Assessment of cattle welfareInjuries from poor handling facilitiesHandling methods adverse to the health and safety of cattleLink to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

In this special episode of The Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, celebrating International Women's Day, Dr. Jennifer Van Os from the University of Wisconsin-Madison discusses the critical role of heat abatement in dairy cattle welfare and production. She explains how thermal discomfort affects cows, emphasizing early physiological indicators like respiration rate. Learn about the best cooling strategies for different climates and production systems. Tune in now on all major platforms!"We need to think about thermal discomfort sooner—before we see drops in production—because cows start coping with heat stress much earlier."Meet the guest: Dr. Jennifer Van Os is an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in Animal Welfare at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She earned her Ph.D. in Animal Behavior from UC Davis and completed postdoctoral research at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on understanding and improving the quality of life for dairy animals.Click to read the full research articles:Effect of different air speeds at cow resting height in freestalls on heat stress responses and resting behavior in lactating cows in WisconsinConsistent stall air speeds in commercial dairy farms are associated with less variability in cow lying timesWhat will you learn: (00:00) Highlight(01:08) Introduction(01:41) Guest background(02:34) Heat stress impact(04:06) Thermal comfort vs. neutrality(05:39) Cooling strategies for cows(08:17) Early discomfort signs(11:03) Closing thoughtsThe Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by the innovative companies:* Adisseo- Volac- Evonik- Kemin- Virtus Nutrition

Send us a textJoin Dr. Chastain and Ginger in reviewing cats'Clarity of vision: acuityPerception of motionAbility to see in darknessLink to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

Send us a textIn this episode Dr. Chastain and Ginger offer more tips on safer horseback riding, such as:How to check and maintain riding tackSafer riding attireHelmetsBootsShirts and jacketsLink to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

An international team of researchers used drones to study narwhals and learn more about their behavior. And, a total lunar eclipse will be visible across most of North and South America in the early morning hours of March 14.New Footage Shows How Narwhals Use Tusks To Hunt And PlayWe're taking a polar plunge into the science of sea unicorns, also known as narwhals!Narwhals are mysterious arctic whales with long, twirly tusks protruding from their foreheads, like a creature out of a fairy tale. And it turns out that we don't know too much about them, partly because they live so far north in the remote Arctic.An international team of researchers used drones to observe narwhals in the wild and learned new things about their behavior, including how they use their tusks to hunt and play.Host Flora Lichtman gets on the horn with Dr. Gregory O'Corry-Crowe, research professor and biologist at Florida Atlantic University, who was an author on the new narwhal study, published last month in Frontiers in Marine Science.How To See The ‘Blood Moon' Lunar Eclipse This WeekEarly on Friday, March 14 (or super late on Thursday, March 13, depending on your time zone) people across the U.S. will be able to watch a total lunar eclipse, if skies are clear. The partial eclipse will begin at 1:09 a.m. Eastern time on Friday the 14th, with totality lasting from 2:26 to 3:31 a.m. Eastern.Astronomer Dean Regas joins Host Flora Lichtman to tell us what to expect, and share some tips for comfortable lunar eclipse viewing.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com.   Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

What does it mean to understand death? For centuries, philosophers have argued that only humans can truly comprehend mortality. But what if they're wrong?In this episode, we speak with philosopher Susana Monsó, author of Playing Possum: How Animals Understand Death, to explore whether animals can grasp their own mortality. From grieving elephants to corpse-removing ants and possums that play dead, we investigate what animal behavior reveals about their concept of death. Do dogs understand when their owners pass away? Do predators recognize a corpse as different from prey? And what does this mean for how we treat animals?

Send us a textIn this episode of The Empathetic Trainer podcast, host Barbara O'Brien chats with Jessica Gonzalez, a dedicated horse rescuer and author of Equine Empowerment. They discuss how horses help people heal, the power of positive reinforcement training, and the deep bond between horses and young people. Jessica shares her journey, the challenges of running a nonprofit, and the importance of trust, patience, and second chances—both for horses and humans.Key Takeaways:Horses provide healing and companionship, especially for those struggling socially.Positive reinforcement builds trust between horses and people.Understanding horse behavior and emotions improves training.Working with rescue horses teaches patience, resilience, and empathy.Jessica's nonprofit empowers youth through equine therapy.Every horse—and every person—deserves a second chance.Tune in for an inspiring conversation on love, trust, and the transformative power of horses!https://www.empathetic-trainer.com/

In this episode, we are honored to welcome Dr. Ruth Woiwode, a distinguished expert in Animal Behavior and Welfare, as well as Nebraska's Animal Care and Handling Specialist. Dr. Woiwode serves as an Assistant Professor and is actively engaged in leading animal welfare research and comprehensive outreach initiatives throughout the state. She holds certification from PAACO in animal welfare auditing for dairy, swine, poultry, meat processing plants, and feedlots. Dr. Woiwode is committed to enhancing practices across various sectors to ensure the well-being of animals. We invite you to join us as we explore her significant contributions to the advancement of animal welfare.

Send us a textCould dinosaurs be the next great delivery workers, pest control experts, or even search-and-rescue heroes? In this episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole take a deep dive into the wild world of dinosaur training—imagining what it would take to turn prehistoric creatures into modern-day workers. From speedy compies delivering packages through city streets to armored Borealopelta stopping high-speed car chases, they explore the science behind animal training, intelligence, and behavior.Packed with humor, science, and the ultimate “what if” scenarios, this episode is a must-listen for dinosaur lovers, science buffs, and anyone who's ever wondered: Could you actually train a dinosaur?Want to see behind the scenes and unedited footage?!

Send us a textPlease join Dr. Chastain and Ginger to learn more about:Anxiety: detrimental to development or a learning facilitator?Safety and efficacy of anti-anxiety nutraceuticals and drugsJustifiable reasons for the use of chemical restraintsLink to show notes: BetterAnimalHandling.com

If you have a dog with fear, anxiety, or aggression issues, you've likely wondered—or, more likely, worried—whether your own personality traits are to blame for their unwanted behaviors.Understandably so. For years, dog owners have been fed messages like, “it's all how you raise them” and “there are no bad dogs, only bad owners.” Even experienced dog behavior professionals, who fully acknowledge the huge influence of biology and individual traits on dog behavior outcomes, are quick to affirm that stressy, anxious owners are far more likely to have anxious dogs.Listen to Co-Hosts Sarah Fraser and Brian Burton (both are Co-Founders of INSTINCT with a Master's in Animal Behavior) discuss this topic, including how the existing research and their experience with thousands of dogs and owners have shaped their thoughts and approach on whether anxious owners cause anxious dogs. Episode References:Ask, H., Eilertsen, E. M., Gjerde, L. C., Hannigan, L. J., Gustavson, K., Havdahl, A., … & Ystrom, E. (2021). Intergenerational transmission of parental neuroticism to emotional problems in 8‐year‐old children: Genetic and environmental influences. JCPP advances, 1(4), e12054.Clarke, T., & Loftus, E. (2023). Owner psychological characteristics predict dog behavioral traits. University of Edinburgh, Preprint, not yet published, https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2657563/v1Dodman NH, Brown DC, Serpell JA (2018) Associations between owner personality and psychological status and the prevalence of canine behavior problems. PLoS ONE 13(2): e0192846. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192846 Finn, C., Mitte, K., & Neyer, F. J. (2013). The Relationship–specific Interpretation Bias Mediates the Link between Neuroticism and Satisfaction in Couples. European Journal of Personality, 27(2), 200-212. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.1862Gobbo E, Zupan M. Dogs' Sociability, Owners' Neuroticism and Attachment Style to Pets as Predictors of Dog Aggression. Animals. 2020; 10(2):315. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10020315Huber A, Barber ALA, Faragó T, Müller CA, Huber L. Investigating emotional contagion in dogs (Canis familiaris) to emotional sounds of humans and conspecifics. Anim Cogn. 2017 Jul;20(4):703-715. doi: 10.1007/s10071-017-1092-8. Epub 2017 Apr 21. PMID: 28432495; PMCID: PMC5486498.Kang W, Establishing the associations between the Big Five personality traits and self-reported number of close friends: A cross-sectional and longitudinal study. Acta Psychologica, Volume 239, 2023, 104010, ISSN 0001-6918, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.104010.Kis A, Turcsán B, Miklósi Á, Gácsi M. The effect of the owner's personality on the behaviour of owner-dog dyads. Interaction Studies: Social Behaviour and Communication in Biological and Artificial Systems. 2012;13(3):373-385. doi:10.1075/is.13.3.03kisMcNulty JK. Neuroticism and interpersonal negativity: the independent contributions of perceptions and behaviors. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2008 Nov;34(11):1439-50. doi: 10.1177/0146167208322558. Epub 2008 Aug 13. PMID: 18703488.Podberscek, A.L. and Serpell, J.A. (1997), Aggressive behaviour in English cocker spaniels and the personality of their owners. Veterinary Record, 141: 73-76. https://doi-org.proxy.wexler.hunter.cuny.edu/10.1136/vr.141.3.73Wright, Amanda & Jackson, Joshua. (2022). Is parent personality associated with adolescent outcomes for their child? A response surface analysis approach. 10.31234/osf.io/ahmzwINSTINCT Resources:Youtube Version of the Episode (video): https://youtu.be/KrlyTh7Z8o0 

Casey Anderson, American filmmaker, wildlife naturalist, and television presenter known for translating human relationships with the natural world and wild animals.   Cam and Casey cover how Casey got into wildlife photography and filmmaking, personal animal attacks, wildlife management and more! Follow along: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cameronrhanes Twitter: https://twitter.com/cameronhanes Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camhanes/ Website: https://www.cameronhanes.com Follow Casey: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grizzlyguy/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@endlessventure  Thank you to our sponsors: MUDWTR: https://mudwtr.com/cam use code CAM for 15% off  MTN OPS Supplements: https://mtnops.com/ Use code KEEPHAMMERING for 20% off and Free Shipping Ketone IQ: https://www.ketone.com/Cam use code CAM for 30% off your first subscription Grizzly Coolers: https://www.grizzlycoolers.com/ use code KEEPHAMMERING for 20% off Black Rifle Coffee: https://www.blackriflecoffee.com/ Use code KEEPHAMMERING for 20% your first order Montana Knife Company: https://www.montanaknifecompany.com/ Use code CAM for 10% off  Timestamps: 00:00:00 How Casey Got into Wildlife Photography 00:07:27 Animal Language - Magpies 00:11:08 Learning to Hunt from Predatory Animals 00:16:41 Wolves Hunting Instincts & Behavior 00:21:05 Behavior When the Wind Changes 00:22:16 How Predators Kill 00:27:28 Brutus - Raising a Grizzly Bear 00:29:22 Ad Break 00:31:46 Bear Personalities & Understanding Their Body Language 00:43:34 Learning Tracking & Animal Behavior in Africa 00:49:44 Timothy Treadwell 00:58:09 Animals in Filmmaking 01:04:45 A Love for Animals & Hunting 01:07:37 Casey's Appearance on Oprah 01:10:52 Animal Protection VS Management 01:21:22 Money in Wildlife Viewing 01:24:34 Telling Stories Through YouTube 01:30:03 Treasures from the Wild 01:35:13 Montana Knife Packout Skinner Knife 01:36:53 Q - F#*k, Marry, Kill - Brown Bears, Mountain Lions, or Tigers 01:44:43 Bart Schleyer 01:48:03 Q - Does Bigfoot Exist 01:53:51 Q - Combatting Fear While Being Alone in the Wilderness? 01:58:46 Q - Getting Your Blood Sucked by a Vampire Bat 02:03:28 How Heart Surgery Changed Casey's Life - Running Ultras 02:10:11 Getting Attacked by a Mountain Lion 02:13:49 Getting Attacked by a Pack of Wolves 02:17:56 Outro

durée : 00:05:08 - Avec sciences - par : Alexandre Morales - Une très récente publication dans la revue Animal Behavior rapporte que les chevaux souffrent de l'isolement lorsqu'ils sont placés en boxes.

Bits of Bennu have building blocks of lifeNASA's OSIRIS-REx mission took six years to travel to the asteroid Bennu and return samples to Earth. Now, the first results from the analysis of these rocks are being released. Researchers found evidence of salty water, as well as the elements necessary for life, such as amino acids and the building blocks for RNA and DNA. We spoke with Kim Tait, senior curator of mineralogy at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, and co-author of one of the recent studies, published in the journal Nature.Unlocking the secret of Polar bear de-icingPolar bears spend so much time going in and out of the water that they are considered marine mammals. So when they do this in the frozen Arctic, why are they not covered in ice? A new study reveals the secret turns out to lie in the unique oils they produce that covers their white fur. Julian Carolan, a PhD candidate at Trinity College Dublin, worked with scientists in Norway, Denmark and the U.K. on this paper published in the journal Science Advances.Truffle-hunting dog finds fabulous new fungusA chance discovery has turned out to reveal a new species of North American truffle. These fungi can be desirable and valuable delicacies. An American truffle hunter, Lois Martin, and her  trained dog Monza found a distinctive truffle in a city park that turned out to be a fungus new to science. Although native to North America, it was more similar to European truffles than any found in the Americas. Dr. Greg Bonito at Michigan State University named this new truffle Tuber canirevelatum,  meaning the ‘dog-found' truffle in honour of Monza and other dogs who look for truffles. The work was published in the journal Mycologia.  Voiding your bowels can improve cognitive performanceTo maximize your cognitive function, it might be a good idea to make sure you have a poo first. That's according to a recent study in the journal Sports Medicine and Health Science. In it, scientists found that 9 out of 13 individuals improved how well they did in a mentally taxing cognitive test if they defecated first, whereas all 13 of them improved in their performance when they took a mild laxative the night before. Chia-Hua Kuo, a professor of sports medicine and nutrition at the University of Taipei, said they also saw an increase in oxygen consumption in the test subjects' subnavel regions as they were doing the test, suggesting a previously unsuspected link between the rectum and the brain. Saving species on Earth, preserving them on the moonThe world is in a biodiversity crisis. We're losing species at an unprecedented rate, thanks to climate change, habitat loss, overexploitation and more. We look at some of the more out-of-the-box solutions that are currently in the works – from creating an internet of animals to monitor biodiversity, to saving samples of Earth's biological resources on the moon.We spoke with:Martin Wikelski, the director of the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, honorary professor of ornithology at the University of Konstanz, and the scientific head of the ICARUS project.Mary Hagedorn, a senior research scientist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and senior author of a recent paper published in the journal Bioscience proposing a passive biorepository on the moon.

SYNOPSIS: This episode features Dr. Zoolittle (Penny), a British Australian polymath and the world's first Longevity Zoologist. Penny shares her unique career journey, starting from her childhood passion for animals to her groundbreaking work using functional and regenerative medicine to extend the healthy lifespan of animals. Ali and Penny discuss her experiences with various species, her approach to animal mental health, and her belief in the innate intelligence and emotional richness of animals. The conversation also touches on the power of feeling and transmitting love, interspecies relationships, and the vast potential humans have to learn from the animal kingdom.To be an angel to the podcast, click hereTo read more about the podcast, click hereMORE ALI MEZEY:Website:  https://www.alimezey.comPersonal Geometry® and the Magic of Mat Work Course information:https://www.alimezey.com/personal-geometry-foundationsTransgenerational Healing Films: https://constellationarts.com/MORE DR. ZOOLITTLE:Website: www.drzoolittle.coInstagram: @drzoolittle   Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@petparentlongevity  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pennywoodzoologistFOR YOUR GIFT: "A Guide to the 7 Pillars of Animal Longevity"Penny's Fire Recovery Guide to share with pet owners living in fire zonesBIG CAT'S IN CRISIS Contribution CampaignWe want to support one of Penny's many noble projects by inviting you to support it with us!Penny is a consultant for Big Cat Sanctuary, UK, as they re-home and revitalize traumatized lions rescued from the war in Ukraine. Here are some links...To Watch on Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/@TheBigCatSanctuaryUInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebigcatsanctuaryuk/?hl=en-gbTo Donate: https://tinyurl.com/LionRescue-DrZoolittle BIO: Penny, a British-Australian polymath, has been a film designer, lion trainer, helicopter hostess, celebrity concierge, author and flying trapeze artist. She has lived in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, dived the Barrier Reef with sharks, out-skied an avalanche and had her hair styled by raccoons. However, her real profession is the world's first Longevity Zoologist where she applies Functional and Regenerative Medicine to naturally extend the healthy lifespan of animals. She is also a Cognitive Ethologist, specialized in animal mental health, behaviour and their relationships with people. Affectionately known as Dr Zoolittle, Penny's signature approach ‘rewilds' animal health and happiness by combining the robust strategies of wild animals with cutting edge-longevity biology. As well a consulting for zoos, she teaches how to stop inadvertently shortening your pet's life and shows you how to help protect animals from age-related diseases. Penny offers Puppy & Kitten Development programs, equipping Pet Parents to raise pets with invincible health, sparkling confidence and impeccable manners. For adult pets, she teaches Dream Dog Finishing School that gives pets a Longevity Lifestyle so they can live into their 20s, full of joy and vitality. OTHER RESOURCES, LINKS AND INSPIRATIONS:BiomimicryBehavioural Biomutualism The Super Bullet Train in Japan Ice Flakes and the Intelligence of water: Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru EmotoThis book has the potential to profoundly transform your world view. Using high-speed photography, Dr. Masaru Emoto discovered that crystals formed in frozen water reveal changes when specific, concentrated thoughts are directed toward them. He found that water from clear springs and water that has been exposed to loving words shows brilliant, complex, and colorful snowflake patterns. In contrast, polluted water, or water exposed to negative thoughts, forms incomplete, asymmetrical patterns with dull colors. The implications of this research create a new awareness of how we can positively impact the earth and our personal health.Steve Irwin was an Australian zookeeper, conservationist, television personality, wildlife educator, and environmentalist.Family Constellation Work is a therapeutic approach that explores an individual's emotional and behavioral challenges in the context of their family system. It seeks to uncover hidden dynamics, unresolved traumas, or entanglements in the family lineage that may influence current issues. The process often involves using group role-play or visualization to represent family members and relationships, creating a “constellation” that reveals these patterns and helps to restore balance and harmony. See Transgenerational Healing Films: https://constellationarts.com/Walking in Your Shoes: WIYS is a process that allows the practitioner, in partnership with a facilitator, to address questions or needs through an intuitive questioning of the body-mind through movement. The applications of the questioning process are quite broad and can be applied to everything from healing trauma and managing addiction, to business development or a more organic method of acting. This is another means of “knowing” through your body.&...

First up this week, as preprint publications ramped up during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, so did media attention for these pre–peer-review results. But what do the readers of news reports based on preprints know about them? Associate News Editor Jeff Brainard joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss studies that look at the public perception of preprints in the news and how to inject skepticism into stories about them.   Next, placing tiny tags on bats to follow them across central Europe. Former Science intern Edward Hurme—now a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Migration at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior—revisits the podcast after 13 years. He discusses the difficulty of tracking bats as they fly long distances at night and what new tagging technology is revealing about their migration patterns.   This week's episode was produced with help from Podigy.   About the Science Podcast   Authors: Sarah Crespi; Jeff Brainard