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November 19, 2012 Three horses and two dozen smaller animals reportedly died. Wranglers say there were sink holes and other "death traps" on the property. The movie production company later paid for improvements at the farm. Director Peter Jackson's movie premieres later this month.

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November 1, 2012 In the wake of the terrible damage caused by superstorm Sandy, commentator Barbara J. King reflects on the animal rescues underway and asks if we can tap these selfless impulses to create a greater, sustained good.

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August 9, 2012 Attention to social media diminishes our experience of the real world! So we're often told. But commentator Barbara J. King turns this notion around and shows how Twitter, especially, can markedly increase our appreciation of nature.

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August 6, 2012 KBIAWhen it's hot and humid, you probably don't want to move much and aren't very hungry. The same goes for cows; but when they don't eat, farmers lose money. Using weather data, a new app called Thermal Aid detects the threat of heat stress and offers farmers tips to keep their cows healthy.

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May 10, 2012 The first two patients ever have entered an animal hospital dedicated to "victims of our industrialized food system." Lila the goat and Franklin the piglet turn a spotlight on farming practices, and how even meat-eaters may support farm-animal welfare.

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April 22, 2012 It's Earth Day! An excellent day to reflect upon the joys of connecting with other animals — and of working to keep them safe and well-treated.

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March 29, 2012 A Colorado animal protection group has created a website and smartphone application designed to help someone who's found an injured animal, lost or found a pet or wants to report animal cruelty. Animal Watch hopes to expand the program nationally in the future.

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March 13, 2012 Dolphins can't taste sweet, savory, and bitter tastes. In fact, they might not be able to taste their fish at all, according to a new study. That might be because they swallow fish whole.

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January 19, 2012 What is animal love and how do we know it when we see it? Commentator Barbara J. King invites crowd-sourcing on this question, applying her own ideas to romanticized storks and home-living bunnies. If you've closely observed animals, jump right in.

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November 23, 2011 Heritage turkey breeds would be extinct if people didn't raise them. And farmers won't raise them if people don't eat them. Breeds like the Narragansett that were close to extinction a decade ago are making a comeback as people choose to go with the darker, gamier meat.

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• FARM: Where Turkey Is Guest, Not Entree
• OOPS: Avoid A Thanksgiving Trip To The ER
• SECRETS: Cook's Tips From Chris Kimball
• FOOTBALL: Grudge Matches, Not 'Turkeys'

November 16, 2011 To find out why some livers retain fat during cooking, scientists analyzed liver proteins in ducks. They found that if you reduce the time you overfeed the ducks, you're get livers that lose less fat during cooking.

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November 3, 2011 There are now 7 billion people, according to the U.N.'s population division. That prompts a question: Who else is in the 7 Billion Club? To learn which other animals had reached that plateau, we asked wildlife experts — who said it's a tough call.

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July 12, 2011 Methuselah, a giant tortoise whose life began in the Galapagos Islands 130 years ago, has died in Rapid City, South Dakota. Since 1954, the huge animal was the star attraction at Reptile Gardens, where officials estimate that he posed for photographs with tens of thousands of visitors.

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June 20, 2011 Father's Day got me thinking about just how different different dads are. A piece in Scientific American looks at the various approaches to fatherhood within the animal kingdom. Male marmosets are my top pick and lion dads show room for improvement.

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