On Tuesday I gave a lecture in my UW class about tool use and the cultural transmission of information in non-human animals. It's one of my favorite lectures; it does my heart good to ponder so many interesting examples of our connections with other animals. The list of discoveries of animals using tools is ever growing; ever since Jane Goodall discovered chimps using modified twigs to catch termites, researchers have observed crows in Australia manufacturing hooked tools to pry insects out of bark, dolphins carefully placing sponges over their rostrums to protect their tissues while foraging, chimpanzees using two tools (hammer and anvil) to crack nuts... the list goes on and on. Here's a truly great video of New Caledonian Crows figuring out how to combine a penchant for nuts and Read More
Goodbye Calling All Pets
Well, this is a hard one to write. Wisconsin Public Radio has cancelled production of Calling All Pets. They will still play repeats for several months in Wisconsin, and stations around the country have the option of offering the show until next summer. I've been doing the show with Larry Meiller for fourteen years, and it's hard to imagine not doing it anymore. It's tough timing too in that the show had taken off last year, thanks to a lot of work from Larry, me and a new producer and executive producer. The show was even picked up in Washington DC, Dallas and Seattle. However, I have to admit that I won't miss getting up early in the morning to do the show, and working seven weekends a year on pledge drives and fund raising events. But here's what I will miss: Working with Larry Read More
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