Bomb Sniffing Elephants in South Africa

Armed with a sharp sense of smell, dogs have a long history of detecting explosives for their human handlers. Trained rats sniff out land mines from old African wars. In Croatia, researchers have tried to train bees to identify TNT.  Now elephants. New research conducted in South Africa and involving the U.S. military shows they excel at identifying explosives by smell, stirring speculation about whether their extraordinary ability can save lives.

http://tinyurl.com/ou96m6l

Scientists Say Rats Capable of Feeling Regret

Rats are capable of feeling regret about their own actions, an emotion that has never previously been found in any other mammals apart from humans.  Researchers set up a test called Restaurant Row in which the rats had to decide how long to wait for food.  “It's like waiting in line at the restaurant,” Professor David Redish, of Minnesota University, told BBC Nature News. "If the line is too long at the Chinese restaurant, then you give up and go to the Indian restaurant across the street."

http://tinyurl.com/koucbd4

Study Shows Animals Know More Than We Think

"Rats often make judgments and behave as if they're rational creatures," said UCLA associate professor of psychology Aaron Blaisdell, a member of UCLA's Brain Research Institute and senior author of a new study published in the December issue of the journal Psychonomic Bulletin and Review.

http://tinyurl.com/cf36x39