Posts by Lawrence Ball
Bereaved behaviour: Animals that mourn their loved ones
Historically, science has radically underestimated animal intelligence and emotions. Just a few decades ago we considered animals to have vastly different brains to our own, lacking moment-to-moment consciousness, emotions and foresight, but modern science has shown this is simply not the case. In 2012 leading scientists published the ‘Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness in Non-Human Animals’, … Continued
Innovation for conservation: 5 technologies that are saving species
Since the new millennium, technology has advanced at a rate never before seen in the history of humankind. Yet so far we have only made relatively small steps when it comes to applying these new advances to the most pressing issue of all: the health of our planet. Today we teeter at a critical tipping … Continued
10 animals still hunted for debunked healing properties
To date scientists have managed to isolate over 12,000 different plant compounds, hundreds of which are utilised in modern medicine. In stark contrast, not one single useful compound has ever been identified in the body parts of the endangered species that are hunted for use in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Even so, TCM remains a … Continued
10 animals that are being eaten to extinction in the 21st century
Around 2 million years ago our ancestors first began the act of purposefully hunting and killing animals in the grasslands of Africa for food. Coincidentally, the fossil record shows that it was around this time that our brains and bodies grew in size—quite possibly fuelled by our new diet—and it wasn’t long (evolutionarily speaking) before … Continued
The definitive big cat cookbook for taking down the perfect prey
Big cats are one of our planets most successful groups of predators which have existed in one form or another (Felidae) for 25 million years. Today they are found on every continent except Antarctica, living in environments ranging from dry deserts and freezing tundra to tropical rainforests and lush grasslands. The tiger, lion, jaguar, leopard, … Continued
The animal origins of 10 mythological creatures
In this day and age we can all be a bit skeptical. Collectively our default mode is set to the belief that the world has been fully mapped out, explored, documented and done with. There are no magical creatures out there now; no dragons, unicorns, or other wild and wonderful beasts from the annuls of … Continued
More than half of all sea turtles have eaten plastic, says study
Last week Dr Qamar Schuyler (University of Queensland), along with a team of international scientists, published a report in the journal Global Change Biology which aimed to quantify the impact of marine debris on sea turtles. Using modelling techniques they revealed that up to 52% of sea turtles world-wide may have ingested plastic debris. Plastic … Continued