David Stipp’s “Why Rats Laugh & Jellyfish Sleep” is a breezy ode to nature’s long game. The respected science expert’s beautifully written book celebrates the adaptive ingenuity of animals whose ...

When the cat’s away, to paraphrase an old cliché, the rats will play. Neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp, working at Washington State University, has devoted a decade to watching that play. And from those ...

Now that we know octopi like to play with cameras, it’s time to investigate other forms of animal play. Did you know that rats laugh when you tickle them? This ...

The respected science expert’s beautifully written book celebrates the adaptive ingenuity of animals whose traits have evolved over millions of years. That includes us — though humans are, at best, ...