Does owning a pet improve health? Many recent studies have found that yes, pets have a positive influence on our lives. In one study, 43 dog owners performed stressful tasks (like public speaking) with and without their pets. Those who had dogs accompany them showed lower spikes of cortisol, a hormone that rises under stress. In another study of 90 older adults, about half were given five crickets to care for. Adults who cared for the insects made improvements in mental and cognitive health, while the other half didn’t.

Why this is interesting: For the older adults who looked after the crickets, having a pet may have added a sense of purpose, says Jessica Bibbo, a gerontologist who studies human-animal interactions. On top of this, there are several consistent positive effects in owning a pet: owning a dog, for instance, is associated with increased physical activity (a great health boost). However, not all studies find a strong link between pet ownership and better health. The quality of the relationship between humans and their animals might be a better predictor of positive outcomes than just the fact that pets are in the home.

What the experts say: “Pets are not a medical intervention; they’re a relationship,” says Jessica Bibbo, a gerontologist who studies human-animal interactions. Even therapy animals are there to facilitate, not to fix, Bibbo says. People emphatically believe pets improve our quality of life, and that belief can affect health, even if indirectly. —Andrea Tamayo, Newsletter Writer

During the April 2024 total solar eclipse, bird behavior shifted dramatically in the four minutes of darkness. Using data provided by nearly hundreds of community scientists and AI analysis of about 100,000 recorded bird calls during the eclipse, researchers discovered that some species’ vocalizations spiked during totality while activities like flying and feeding dropped. In total, 29 of the 52 species analyzed showed changes in their singing in at least one of the three time periods—before, during or after the eclipse—suggesting a widespread but species-specific sensitivity to light. Once sunlight returned, many species began singing again as if it were dawn.

Why this is interesting: Animal behavior is tied to natural light cycles, and the study shows that even brief disruptions can affect their biological rhythms. The results could help identify species most vulnerable to artificial light pollution. The eclipse also offered a chance to join professional and amateur bird observers in a huge natural experiment.

What the experts say: This new study provides a “rich and unique new dataset” to challenge what scientists think they know about how birds of different species respond to radical changes in light, says ornithologist Andrew Farnsworth of Cornell University. “There might be additional kinds of behaviors that are probably buried in their recordings and that the authors are going to be able to analyze further.” —Humberto Basilio, News Intern