Do animals have personalities? Donkeys are stubborn, pandas are cute, and dogs are faithful — right? We usually describe people's personalities, but are we right to assign personalities to animals, too?
Could we eat like scavengers? Dogs eat all kinds of nasty things, and vultures eat carcasses that are long dead. Could we eat rotten food if we heat treated it beforehand?
Biggest threats to farmers have four legs Big animals are more dangerous for Norwegian farmers than even-bigger tractors, a new analysis shows. Cows are the chief culprits, causing the most work accidents on Norway's farms.
Primitive worms threaten harvests They live in the soil, are numerous, and can be microscopic. Yet nematodes can effectively kill off fruit trees and cereals.
Solving the mystery of bear cub killings Male bears in Scandinavian forests kill bear cubs. The corpses of cubs, claw marks and DNA samples testify to a life-or-death struggle.
Grassland crops hit by greedy geese It’s a long way from wintering grounds in Belgium and the Netherlands to the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, so little wonder pink-footed geese stop over to forage along the way.
Antidepressants for pets People are not the only users of antidepressants. A spike in sales of “happy pills” for animals is being seen in Sweden.
Norwegian dairy goats thrive in African mountains Eighty Norwegian dairy goats were flown into Tanzania thirty years ago. Now there are 300,000 goats with genes from these founder animals on dairy farms in mountainous areas.
How smart are animals? We think that crows are smart but what do we really know? Intelligence takes on diverse meanings for different species and researchers think we are too prone to use human standards.
Why do vegan cats need white canes? “People who want to give their pets vegetarian food should have rabbits,” says an expert in animal behaviour.
Cheap hamburger could be choice steaks Little Norwegian beef ends up being served as steaks. With new feeding and butchering techniques the country’s cattle could provide more whole cuts and less minced or ground beef.
Windpower? Oh, my deer! Scientists don’t think a windmill park will bother reindeer in their summer grazing areas. But local reindeer herders fear their animals could be scared by the traffic and people.
Genes reveal animal history Reindeer living way up north today are immigrants from the south. This is revealed by their genes, which also divulge other secrets of these animals’ shared history with humankind for thousands of years.
Pictures from Amundsen’s South Pole adventures Fascinating photos reveal the harsh but beautiful surroundings of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen’s 100-year-old expedition to the South Pole.
Moose are the new cows The Eurasian elk, or moose, is filling in for cows as a forest browser. While Bessie is in the barn or an enclosed pasture, this big herbivore ensures continuity in the overall amount of browsing in outlying land in Norway.
