Read the latest positive news, breakthroughs, and inspiring stories about tool use, curated daily by BrightWire.
Scientists captured the first video evidence of bottlenose dolphins using empty seashells to scoop up fish, a rare hunting technique spotted on opposite coasts of Australia. Even more remarkable, a young calf was filmed copying its mother's tool use, suggesting dolphins may pass down this clever fishing method through generations.
A captive chimp in Japan has been tearing up floorboards and using them to drum in structured, rhythmic patterns while vocalizing. Scientists say his behavior may reveal how music evolved from emotional expression.
A pet cow in Austria has become the first of her species documented using tools with purpose and flexibility, choosing different parts of a brush to scratch different body areas. The discovery is challenging long-held assumptions about cattle intelligence and expanding our understanding of which animals can use tools.
A 13-year-old cow named Veronika has become the first documented bovine to use tools, scratching herself with sticks, rakes, and brooms. The discovery from Austria is rewriting what scientists thought they knew about animal intelligence.
A pet cow named Veronika has become the first of her species ever recorded using tools, grabbing sticks and brooms to scratch those hard-to-reach itches. Scientists say this breakthrough shows cattle might be smarter than we ever imagined.
A Swiss Brown cow in Austria has become the first of her species ever recorded using tools, wielding a brush to scratch different parts of her body with surprising precision. Scientists say her ability to use one tool for multiple purposes has only been convincingly documented in chimpanzees outside of humans.
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A pet cow in Austria named Veronika has become the first documented case of tool use in cattle, carefully selecting which end of a broom to use for different scratching needs. Even more remarkable: she's one of only two species known to adapt a single tool for multiple purposes.
A pet cow in Austria has joined chimps and dolphins in an elite club by learning to use sticks as tools to scratch herself. Scientists say Veronika's decade-long self-taught skill shows we've seriously underestimated how smart cattle really are.
Veronika, a 13-year-old Swiss Brown cow in Austria, has become the first documented cow to use tools. She picks up brushes and sticks with her tongue to scratch herself, even choosing which end works best for different body parts.
A 13-year-old cow named Veronika has become the first of her species observed using tools on herself, choosing different ends of a brush to scratch various body parts. Scientists say cows may be far smarter than we've given them credit for.
A cow named Veronika has become the first non-primate mammal ever recorded using tools in flexible, creative ways. Her groundbreaking behavior is reshaping how scientists understand the intelligence of farm animals.
A Swiss brown cow in Austria has stunned scientists by using a broom as a tool, carefully selecting which end to use based on where she wants to scratch. This is the first documented case of a cow not only using a tool but adjusting it for different body parts.