by Linnea Parker | Oct 20, 2023 | Animal Tales for Kids, Play
Buzz buzz! A bumblebee flies over your head, and lands on a nearby flower. Bumblebees are very important for habitats because they are pollinators. Bumblebees pollinate plants by moving pollen from one flower and moving it to another. These fuzzy friends help our...
by Sydney McCallie | Nov 9, 2022 | Animal Tales for Kids, Play
Do you know a friend with a contagious laugh or smile? Has someone else’s good or bad mood ever rubbed off on you? Chances are, you answered yes to both of these questions. These forms of empathy, called behavioral and emotional contagion, are an important part of...
by Vikas Gudhe | Nov 9, 2022 | Animal Tales for Kids, Play
Do you ever wonder if animals think like us? While it’s not easy to tell, one study at Queen Mary University found that bumblebees like to “play” with wooden balls by rolling them around with their bodies. How do we know it was “play” and not something for survival? ...
by Stephanie Kaufman | Oct 26, 2021 | Play
Most cat owners are well acquainted with domesticated felines’ tendency to hunt, despite their humans providing food for them. Many have been left little “gifts” on their front stoop or, perhaps, even in their homes. Scientists have likened the play behavior of cats...
by Katie Orefice | Nov 11, 2020 | Play, Sensory systems, Social behavior
Have you ever wondered why yawning is so contagious? One moment you may be sitting at the dinner table with your friend as they let out a big yawn, and the next second you are doing the same. This involuntary action is something that is commonly seen in humans, and...
by 2019 Class | Aug 18, 2020 | Play
By Jessica Zhou ’22 People laugh when they are happy, and laughter infects others. Coincidentally, carnivorous parrots from New Zealand also have infectious “laughter”, which can be called “play call.” Happy laughter is contagious, and...
