A Thinking Reed

"Man is but a reed, the most feeble thing in nature, but he is a thinking reed" – Blaise Pascal

Science

  • Who will stand up for the rat?

    A history of lab animals and the fitful attempts to provide them some modicum of protection. Rats and mice, by far the most widely used animals in laboratory experiments, are afforded no protection under the Animal Welfare Act (i.e., they don’t count as “animals” for the purpose of the law). Now, rats don’t exactly elicit Read more

  • Whence the cat?

    Fascinating article about how and where cats were first domesticated. Not Egypt as you might think. I think it was Jeffrey Masson who said that cats are the only animal to truly benefit from domestication (as any cat owner can attest!). Read more

  • Justice among the beasts

    Interesting review of a new book portraying behavior of animals that can fairly be described as moral (via). I think our resistance to seeing animals as in any way “moral” might be rooted in the Kantian legacy of modern moral philosophy. Roughly, for Kant, you’re only acting morally when you’re acting for the sake of Read more

  • Links on animals and such

    A profile of Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author of The Face on Your Plate (via). A short Q&A with Peter Singer on dog shows and PETA. A really interesting interview with Jane Goodall in which she talks about, among other things, her “mystical experiences” in the jungle. Read more

  • Do crustaceans feel pain?

    Two new studies suggest they do (via). Read more

  • Why do we have pets?

    A new book suggests that we get a bio-psychological reward from them. Salon interviews the author: Touch releases oxytocin in humans and animals. Oxytocin is one of the most powerful hormones that the body makes. This is a chemical that is responsible for social bonding. When you pat your cat, you should be getting a Read more

  • (Non-human) animals who use tools

    Very cool. It seems like birds, in particular, are proving to be smarter than we thought. The mole rat face mask is pretty incredible too. Read more

  • The heavens declare the glory of the Lord

    How cool is this–Hubble Telescope “Advent calendar” (Thanks, bls!) Read more

  • Assorted links with no particular unifying theme

    –Lynn on why some people are pro-choice on abortion but anti-gay marriage and the various meanings of “sodomy” –Matt Yglesias on DC Statehood (bonus: a couple of nifty images of US flags with 51 stars from Yglesias commenters) –Humane Society CEO Wayne Pacelle recently appeared on the Kojo Nnamdi show, an excellent program on DC’s Read more

  • Give thanks

    It’s good for you (scientifically proven!). Of course, it’s also meet, right and our bounden duty, in case you needed another reason. Read more