Something in the air: does smelling stress affect dogs?

Georgina Mills discusses research into the effects of human stress on dogs, and how this might lead to them being more pessimistic.

Using remote technology to count dogs.

Georgina Mills discusses how Google Street View could help in counting dogs in Peru to support approaches to rabies management.

Ensuring good welfare is promoted in advertising.

Georgina Mills discusses new guidance advising against using dog breeds with extreme conformation in advertising.

How touch helps hummingbirds hover.

Georgina Mills discusses new research looking at how hummingbirds use somatosensation to adjust their flight.

World 'wild' web: video calling for parrots?

Georgina Mills discusses a recent study that investigated whether video calling might be an option to tackle loneliness in parrots.

A systematic review of pharmacogenetic testing to guide antipsychotic treatment.

Pharmacogenomics could optimize antipsychotic treatment by preventing adverse drug reactions, improving treatment efficacy or relieving the cost burden on the healthcare system. Here we conducted a systematic review to investigate whether pharmacogenetic testing in individuals undergoing antipsychotic treatment influences clinical or economic outcomes. On 12 January 2024, we searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Cochrane Centrale Register of Controlled Trials. The results were summarized using a narrative approach and summary tables. In total, 13 studies were eligible for inclusion in the systematic review. The current evidence base is either in favor of pharmacogenetics-guided prescribing or showed no difference between pharmacogenetics and treatment as usual for clinical and economic outcomes. In the future, we require randomized controlled trials with sufficient sample sizes that provide recommendations for patients who take antipsychotics based on a broad, multigene panel, with consistent and comparable clinical outcomes.

Avian flu causes concerning falls in seabird numbers.

Georgina Mills discusses a new report from the RSPB describing how seabird populations have been affected by avian influenza.

Creating PRRS-resistant pigs for the supermarket.

Georgina Mills reports on a bid from a UK-based company to have pigs that are bred to be resistant to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome approved for sale in the USA.

How sea otters are preventing coastal erosion.

Georgina Mills discusses research showing how the return of a top-level predator to a salt marsh in California has had impressive effects on reducing vegetation loss.

Going above and beyond for happy workplaces.

At the end of 2023, BVA unveiled the winners of its first wellbeing awards. Here, Emma Dahm and Georgina Mills find out more about why they won.

Enriching the lives of captive giraffes.

Georgina Mills discusses new work from the University of Glasgow examining how sounds might keep giraffes entertained.

Penguins found to take thousands of naps a day.

Georgina Mills discusses research into chinstrap penguins that discovers they use a series of microsleeps through the day.

Understanding how cats purr.

Georgina Mills discusses new research that investigated how cats purr and whether neural input is needed.

Do female chimpanzees experience menopause?

Georgina Mills discusses new research that investigates if the hormonal changes seen in women in later life are reflected in chimpanzees.