Companion animals are part of our families, but inevitably the time comes for us to say goodbye to them due to old age or disease.
When we broke ground for a garden at our 80-year-old house in the middle of Seattle, we took the most obvious thing for granted.
The opportunity to connect to Earth and her gifts in modern times is often waved away as a childish fantasy or an outdated practice, yet the impact of this disconnect is creating huge problems in our environment and mental health. To those who wave away our connectedness with Earth as a fantasy, I offer you an alternative way to consider these practices.
- By Cameron Webb
Mosquitoes aren’t just annoying. Every year around 5,000 Australians get sick following a mosquito bite.
- By Bronwyn Orr
You might think raw meat pet food is good for your dog. But a new study, published today in Vet Record, has found it can have high levels of bacteria that may pose health risks for your pet.
Zebras are famous for their contrasting black and white stripes – but until very recently no one really knew why they sport their unusual striped pattern.
Like humans, dogs’ personalities likely change over time, according to new research.
Planting more flowers is a great idea – but it is difficult to predict which flowers different insects will use the most, and whether enough flowers are being provided for them.
- By Paula Kover
Are we facing insect Armageddon? A recent study found that German nature reserves have seen a 75% reduction in flying insects over the last 27 years.
- By Sara Nabil
Imagine a house where the walls change colour depending on your mood, or your tablecloth changes shape when you’re having a dinner party.
These images were reminders that for an estimated one out of eight Americans, food insecurity is a near-term risk.
Summer in Australia seems to bite harder each year. Adelaide set a record maximum temperature for the nation’s capital cities of 46.6°C last week and there have been extreme heatwaves around Australia.
When cannabis was legalized in the parts of the United States, there were substantial increases in marijuana-related visits to children’s hospitals and calls to poison control centers. Pets are just as vulnerable — just like our human family members, pets are susceptible to getting sick.
When it comes to making decisions, most of us are influenced to some degree by other people, whether that’s choosing a restaurant or a political candidate.
This large pet population is estimated to consume billions of tonnes of meat each year.
Ponds are taken for granted. Perhaps it’s because most of us have seen them – and on occasion, fallen into them – and think they’re only good for goldfish.
- By Alexis Blue
Bigger dogs, with larger brains, perform better than smaller pups on certain measures of intelligence, new research shows.
You might have noticed how bright green your plants look after rain. Or you may have been watering your garden this summer, over many hot days and weeks. So, which water is best for your plants? The stuff that falls out of the sky or the water that comes out of the tap?
- By Libby Sander
Many of us have started the year determined to be more organised: no more drawers full of plastic containers with missing lids, or lone socks.
- By Marc Bekoff
Grief, friendship, gratitude, wonder, and other things we animals experience.
- By Susan Lawler
Last night I was watering the garden with a hose. It is easy to see how stressed the plants are on a 38 degree day, but then I remembered that the animals in my garden need water too.
- By Nick Rose
For more than 20 years, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has made tens of millions of dollars available in grants and low-interest loans to the local food sector.
While the weather outside may indeed get frightful this winter, a parka, knit hat, wool socks, insulated boots and maybe a roaring fire make things bearable for people who live in cold climates.