Update
“Who are you?”
This is my aunt’s favorite way to greet me after a long period apart. “Do I know you?” I’ll reply. “Have we met before?” We only first met when I arrived in Sweden a couple years ago, so a lot Read more…
Research Thoughts
A healthy dose of pessimism
One week of data collection down! I’ve discovered that I love my daily commute, it’s a great excuse to listen to an episode of Dungeons and Daddies (I refused to give this podcast a chance for the longest time simply Read more…
Update
Chickens!!
I met my study birds yesterday! The facility is in the process of its annual cleaning, so they have all been temporarily moved to outdoor enclosures. The limited space has led to some temporary mixing of groups. Still, upon stepping Read more…
Research Thoughts
You’re more likely to make friends with a cow than a moose
[This post refers to a whole bunch of published studies – I’ll provide links to them in the text so you can check them out yourself!] Domestication, the process that turned wolves into dogs, guanacos into llamas, ducks into…well, domestic Read more…
Research Thoughts
Observation is the prerequisite to discovery…or, why I study chickens
Biology is founded on observational research. Pivotal insights about our world were the result of some guy needing a hobby, so he traveled to new places, peered through homemade lenses, or grew pea plants in a garden. The research environment Read more…
Research Thoughts
Organismal bias, and its implications for chicken research and welfare
Science is limited only by our imagination. An inspiring statement, but one that also contains a note of caution. By the same token, we can argue that the potential for scientific discovery is limited by our human experience. Back in Read more…
Update
Ethology, applied
This summer, I’ve been working as an animal technician. It’s a part time position that was hastily thrown together to buffer the effects of a sudden resignation, meaning my whole job takes place in the area with highest priority, but Read more…
Update
Hello (again) world
In an earlier post, I referenced the work of the Jensen lab at Linköping University. Guess who’s now a member of that lab? For the second year of my Applied Ethology and Animal Biology master’s program, I will be conducting Read more…
News
Bird brains
Linköping University is home to one of the very few breeding populations of red junglefowl that exists outside of the wild. Multiple labs within their biology department use the population to learn more about the physiology, behavior, and genetic background Read more…
For Kids
Avian Superstars
The chickens starred in another episode of Snap!, a weekly children’s show created by Tieren Costello with a story and an original song. In this mini episode, Tieren discovers the many different kinds of food that chickens eat. Check out Read more…