Gordon Burghardt, Alumni Distinguished Service Professor in the Departments of Psychology and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, was quoted in a New York Times article about the debate on whether reptiles and amphibians should be house pets.
A debate over reptile pets erupted in a series of articles published recently in the journal, Veterinary Record. In a linked editorial, UT’s Gordon Burghardt said issues of health, best practices for keeping captives, and preventing disease transmission to humans “are important for veterinarians to address.”
UT professor Gordon Burghardt teamed up with Akira Mori, a professor at Kyoto University in Japan, to study how different snakes respond when fed toxic foods. In a recent New Scientist article, their researched showed that when snakes were fed toxic toads, they became aware they were toxic and would respond to threats with nuchal
A recent Knoxville News Sentinel story explored mankind’s complex relationship with snakes particularly since the reptiles remain a part of so many cultures’ fears, focus of worship, captive exhibits and symbolic or religious meanings. UT’s Gordon Burghardt expounded on the psychology of snakes in this story. He noted that the fear of snakes can easily turn
The Evolution Institute recently featured a conversation between Gordon Burghardt and scientist Kevin Laland on the topic of niche construction–the process through which an organism alters its own or another species’ environment, rather than one being passively shaped by the other. Read the interview online. Burghardt is an Alumni Distinguished Service Professor, holds appointments in the
An article in the June issue of Discover magazine quotes Gordon Burghardt extensively about the play behavior of non-mammalian animals.
UT’s Gordon Burghardt, professor of psychology, and Nina Fefferman, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, joined Gretchen Goldman from the Union of Concerned Scientists recently on WUOT’s Dialogue.
Gordon Burghardt spoke to National Geographic about the play behavior of walruses. New research shows walruses are playful creatures and like to toy with bird carcasses.
The New York Times recently published an article exploring why people love animal videos and referenced the work of Gordon Burghardt.
The Smithsonian Magazine interviewed Gordon Burghardt for a story exploring beluga whales’ whimsical and quirky behavior of blowing bubbles.
Research on the evolution and function of play at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis at UT has culminated in a special issue of the journal Adaptive Behavior. The collection heavily features the research of Gordon Burghardt, who works on many aspects of animal behavior, play behavior, ethical treatment of animals, and zoo
The Huffington Post and Psychology Today highlighted Gordon Burghardt‘s research on animal behavior in a story examining how and why dogs play. Burghardt, a UT Alumni Distinguished Service Professor, holds appointments in the Departments of Psychology and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.