My blog post on dogs that are exceptionally gifted at learning words has been adapted for the September issue of Psychology Today! It appears as part of a special collection about animal communication.

Check it out here: In Search of the Genius Dog.

Researchers coin the term “social medication” to describe social anointing in capuchin monkeys. The behavior, in which the animals vigorously rub smelly substances into their own fur and onto the bodies of others, appears to have both medicinal and social functions.

Read more at my Animal Minds blog: Why Do Monkeys Rub Themselves, and Others, with Onions?

Birds do it. Bees do it. Even city rats do it. I’m talking about pollination, of course. A new study shows that city rats eat the feijoa plant’s flowers and may end up pollinating the plants along the way.

Read more at my Animal Minds blog: Rats are Pollinators, Too.

For females of many species, choosing a mate is a weighty decision. You want your offspring to inherit the best possible genes. But how do you judge the genetic quality of a potential mate? In a new paper, researchers tested female preference for symmetric males in fruit flies— with a few key innovations.

Read the whole story at The Scientist: The Sex Appeal of Symmetric Songs.

I have two new articles published at Pediatrics Nationwide:

• A multicenter analysis of nearly 50 pediatric hospitals showed that newborns are commonly treated with nephrotoxic medications and, troublingly, the prevalence of acute kidney injury is higher in newborns treated with these drugs. The authors say the findings demonstrate the need for initiatives to reduce nephrotoxic medication exposure in very young infants. Read the story here: Nephrotoxic Medications in the NICU.

• With advances in chemotherapy and radiation, more children are surviving cancer and entering adulthood. However, a potential consequence of such treatments is fertility impairment. The fertility program at Nationwide Children’s was established in 2015. In 2018, Nationwide Children’s hired a full-time fertility navigator, a certified pediatric nurse practitioner with a background in oncology and training in oncofertility. Read the story here: Fertility Navigators Support Important Consultations in Pediatric Settings.