In a new paper, researchers from the University of Bristol reviewed over 400 research papers and collected all the information available on giraffe behavior and social organization. The evidence they found paints a picture of an animal with a highly complex social system, potentially comparable to that of elephants, chimpanzees, and dolphins.

Read more at my Animal Minds blog: Giraffes May Be as Socially Complex as Orcas and Elephants.

Improvements in sequencing technology and other genetic tools have enabled the identification of genes involved in many brain disorders and provided new insights into their role in disease. These advances, along with recent breakthroughs in gene therapy, have already translated research discoveries into treatments for previously incurable diseases.

Learn more in this fact sheet for the American Society of Human Genetics: Neurogenetics.

Adolescents with type 1 diabetes are more likely to experience depression than their peers without diabetes, and symptoms of depression can directly impact adherence to diabetes care. Thus, both the American Diabetes Association and International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes recommend annual routine depression screening. But does depression or diabetes distress - a new term to describe negative reactions and emotions stemming from having a diabetes diagnosis - better predict glycemic control?

Read the whole story at Pediatrics Nationwide: Diabetes Distress Associated with Poor Glycemic Control in Adolescents with Diabetes.

New research shows that neurons in the arms of cuttlefish demonstrate evidence of learning and memory, independent of their main brain.

Read about it at my Animal Minds blog: How Cuttlefish Think Outside of the Brain.

Using 27 years of detailed observations of spotted hyena social interactions, researchers uncovered a pattern of social network inheritance between mothers and offspring. The findings shed light on how relationships are formed and maintained and have implications for social structure, rank, and survival.

Read more at my Animal Minds blog: Hyenas Inherit Their Moms’ Social Connections.