We can talk to the animals!

This is why I study Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare! (& why my dissertation is on the complex social behaviour of African birds) I really should be writing and editing my dissertation now instead of posting an extra blog post. I have completed the required number of blog posts as an official blogger for the Veterinary school, but... LOOK AT THIS RESEARCH THAT WAS JUST PUBLISHED! It is really exciting. It totally builds on my last long, convoluted post about people learning from birds & humans and other species living in harmony. It also supports my point that we "Westerners" need to respect the abilities and views of indigenous people much more than we typically do.

A paper was just published in the journal, Science, on the ability of humans and birds to talk to each other. This is not 'parroting' or talking at birds and pretending that they are human, but actually working with and communicating with the birds. 

Look at this cool stuff:

http://www2.zoo.cam.ac.uk/africancuckoos/systems/honeyguides_mutualism.html

Dr. Claire Spottiswoode is my new awesome female scientist role model. 

Dr. Spottiswoode, if you happen to read this, I would like to do a PhD with you.

I really want to go to Africa to do field research. 

Ok, I'm done totally geek-ing out. I'll get back to writing my dissertation now.