Researchers Hope Canine Brain Holds Clues to Ours

Dogs are ethical, full of natural goodness, scientist says

(NEWSER) - Science is finally catching up to what dog owners have known all along: Canines are ethical. After thousands of hours studying dogs—once dismissed as "furry automatons," an author said—animal behaviorist Marc Bekoff concluded that they possess the capacity for empathy and compassion, the hallmarks of morality. Humans aren’t alone “in having a nuanced moral system,” Bekoff told the Denver Post. More»

He took in stray in Iraqi war zone

(NEWSER) - An Army major killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq has left a canine legacy—Laia, a stray puppy who made it back to America, the Los Angeles Times reports. Working on a transition team, Steven Hutchison found the dog loafing around his vehicle after a meeting. “Maj. Hutchison was hooked,” Sgt. Andrew Hunt says. "She slept in his bed with him at night and napped under his bed during the day.” More»

Japanese toymaker debuts dog translator next month

(NEWSER) - Ever wonder what your dog is thinking? The “Bowlingual Voice” from Japanese toymaker Takara Tomy claims to be able to tell you just that, the Telegraph reports. The device is made up of a microphone and transmitter on the collar that categorizes the dog’s utterances into one of six emotions—such as sadness, anger or happiness—and plays an appropriate sample of speech from a handset. More»

(NEWSER) - The secret to a happy life? It's ... complicated. Joshua Wolf Shenk of the Atlantic examines an extraordinary and still continuing 72-year study of 268 Harvard men—JFK and Ben Bradlee are two of the well-known participants—designed to shed light on how to lead a successful life. The subjects were chosen because they seemed destined to thrive, but along with no small number of success stories, a third of participants could be classified as mentally ill by age 50. More»

(NEWSER) - Loki, the Chihuahua who figured prominently in Mickey Rourke’s Golden Globe acceptance speech, died Monday, E! Online reports. The 18-year-old dog accompanied Rourke on the red carpet at the awards. The Oscar-nominated actor is very attached to his canine friends. “Sometimes, when a man is alone, that's all you got is your dog,” he said. “And they've meant the world to me.” More»