In a new study, pigs demonstrated remarkable mental and behavioral flexibility on a task that wasn’t designed for their species. Researchers taught four pigs to play a video game by manipulating a joystick with their snouts. The pigs’ performance, though it did not rival that of dexterous primates, shows they possessed a conceptual understanding of the task.

Read the whole story at my Animal Minds blog: Thinking Like a Pig.

Communication is vital for frogs. But in certain environments, such as loud streams and waterfalls, vocalizations may not be enough to get noticed. A handful of frog species have arrived upon the same solution to this problem, producing higher pitched calls and adding dance moves to communicate in loud environments. Now, another species can be added to the list of frogs that use visual communication in response to a loud environment.

Read more at my latest Animal Minds blog: Frogs Living Near Loud Waterfalls Dance to Attract Attention.

In an olfactory mirror test for self-recognition, wolves demonstrate they know the difference between “self” and “other.”

Read about the study on my Animal Minds blog: Wolves Demonstrate Self-Awareness in Sniff Test.

Organ transplantation has become an established and life-saving treatment for patients with end-stage organ failure. However, patients still face constraints when it comes to access to transplantation, as well as its efficacy. To address these limitations, a variety of emerging technologies are focused on either maximizing the availability of organs or minimizing the immune response to donor organs. These arms of research are complementary and may, in the future, be used together to save and improve the lives of organ transplant patients.

Read my latest for IEEE Pulse: Overcoming Challenges in Organ Transplantation.

By four months of age, the cognitive performance of ravens in experimental tasks testing their social intelligence and understanding of the physical world parallels that of adult great apes, according to a new study. The results indicate that not only do ravens possess sophisticated cognitive skills, but they also develop these skills rapidly.

Read more about this study at my Animal Minds blog: The Raven: A Birdbrain Nevermore.