DOES YOUR DOG REALLY LOVE YOU OR DO THEY JUST LOVE BEING FED BY YOU?
Your dog is so pleased to see you when you get home. Then again, that's also when you feed them. So does your dog see you as their best friend or merely a food delivery system?
You won't find the word 'love' in the published papers of scientists who research non-human animals. Ironically, though, most animal behaviour scientists were drawn to the subject because of their deep and abiding interest in them.
And yet, generations of researchers have been trained not to use anthropomorphic words like 'love' to describe something a non-human animal might be feeling. Indeed, the use of anthropomorphisms (descriptions of non-human behaviour or characteristics with terminology used to describe humans) has long been condemned in the field of animal behaviour. Hence, researchers talk of 'temperament' instead of 'personality' and 'positive cognitive bias' instead of 'optimism'.
This hard-line stance against the applicability of human terms to nonhumans is loosening, however. Partly for the usefulness of some of the terms for describing animal behaviour, but also for the strong evolutionary reasons to believe that non-human animals are not entirely dissimilar to humans.
Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av BBC Science Focus.
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Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av BBC Science Focus.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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THE HUNGER GAME
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HOW THE UNIVERSE WILL END
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DARK ENERGY MIGHT BE ABOUT TO THROW A SPANNER IN THE WORKS
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The map is now the highest-resolution picture of the human brain ever created
HOW THE LATEST DEVELOPMENT IN NUCLEAR FORENSICS MAY HELP CLEAN UP CHERNOBYL
Contrary to popular belief, radioactive material doesn't glow. But a team of nuclear forensics experts are working on a device to make it do just that. BBC Science Focus's Noa Leach meets the scientists behind the innovative device
MAJOR STUDY SHOWS HOW ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS CHANGE YOUR LIFESPAN, IF YOU'RE NOT EATING YOUR VEG
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ORIGIN OF EARTH'S 'SECOND MOON' DISCOVERED
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INTERMITTENT FASTING AND CORRECTLY TIMED WORKOUTS ARE KEY TO FAT LOSS, SAYS STUDY
A new approach to dieting and exercise could help you lose weight and enhance your health
MASSIVE EXPLOSION SPOTTED ON MYSTERIOUS DEAD STAR
A satellite in the right place at the right time captured an important cosmic sight