Tag Archives: animals

A Typology of Reasons Why Animals Are Worthwhile to People: A White Paper on Instrumental, Relational, Moral, and Civilizational Value

Posted on December 15, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Debates about the value of animals often collapse into narrow frames: economic utility, emotional attachment, environmentalism, or animal rights. Such reductions obscure the reality that animals matter to people for multiple, overlapping, and historically persistent reasons. This white … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Falling Slowly: Comparative Terminal Velocity of Animals and Objects, and How Body Design Minimizes Impact Speed

Posted on November 14, 2025 by nathanalbright

Abstract Terminal velocity—the maximum speed an object reaches when falling through a fluid such as air—is a key determinant of whether a fall is survivable. This paper compares the terminal velocities of various animals and inanimate objects, analyses how size, … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Strategic Value of Filling Neglected Niches in Novel Environments

Posted on November 13, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This paper explores the ecological, sociological, and strategic advantages of adopting a “niche-filling” approach—whether by individuals, organizations, or entire species—when entering a new or changing environment. Rather than competing directly with dominant incumbents, niche-seekers identify underutilized or neglected … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Comparative Ecology and Colonization Patterns — How the Presence of Dingoes in North Carolina Can Explain the Proliferation of Dingoes in Australia

Posted on November 13, 2025 by nathanalbright

Abstract This white paper examines the ecological, behavioral, and anthropogenic factors underlying the proliferation of dingoes in Australia by exploring a hypothetical or analogical case of dingo establishment in North Carolina. While no confirmed feral dingo population currently exists in … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Most Emotionally Intuitive Animals and Their Relationship with Humans

Posted on November 11, 2025 by nathanalbright

Abstract This white paper examines the species known for their exceptional emotional intuition—defined as the capacity to perceive, interpret, and respond appropriately to emotional states in humans and conspecifics. It explores the biological, neurological, and behavioral foundations of this intuition, … Continue reading →

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Gator Tastes Like Chicken: Redneck Cuisine and the Cultural Programming of Adaptation in a Jurassic Park Scenario

Posted on October 23, 2025 by nathanalbright

I. Introduction: From Swamp to Cretaceous If Jurassic Park were real — not just a billionaire’s dream but an inhabited, chaotic frontier — few groups of people would take to it more naturally than rural Southern “rednecks.” The term, often … Continue reading →

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The Portrayal of Bears in Persian Culture and Literature: A White Paper on Symbolism, Folklore, and the Cultural Ecology of the Khers (خرس)

Posted on October 18, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary The bear (khers, خرس) occupies a modest yet symbolically potent place in Persian culture and literature. Though less prominent than lions, leopards, or mythical creatures like the simurgh, the bear appears across Persian folklore, poetry, proverbs, and courtly … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Cultural Attitudes Toward Dogs: Moral and Behavioral Implications of How People Treat Animals

Posted on October 14, 2025 by nathanalbright

Abstract This white paper explores cross-cultural differences in attitudes toward dogs, situating them within wider moral systems that shape human–animal relations. From venerated companions in the West to ritually impure beings in parts of the Islamic world, and from livestock … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Induced Ovulation in the Animal World and the Question of Consent

Posted on September 14, 2025 by nathanalbright

Abstract Induced ovulation is a reproductive strategy found across diverse animal taxa, in which ovulation is not spontaneous but triggered by mating or other external cues. This paper explores the biological mechanisms and evolutionary logic of induced ovulation, compares it … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Understanding the Psychology of Domestic and Farm Animals: Dogs, Cats, Cows, Sheep and Goats, Horses, and Fish

Posted on September 1, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary The psychology of animals provides critical insights into their welfare, behavior, and relationships with humans. Dogs and cats serve as companion animals shaped by domestication, while livestock species such as cows, sheep, goats, and horses balance survival instincts … Continue reading →

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