With the same people's wishes/And the same people area/ That all comes in Yoors.” Between smiles and grimaces
Humans are able to read each other's emotions from their faces, but how do other animals do that? Mariska Kret shows what differences and similarities there are between humans and animals.

Humans are able to read each other's emotions from their faces to a certain extent, but how do other animals do that? Does a bird hear the song of another bird what its mood is? Let a chimpanzee express its happiness with a grin, or does that so-called laugh mean something completely different? And does a dog smell to another dog how the flag hangs today? For all animals that live in social groups, it is important to understand what their peers are doing. Facial expressions, body language and other emotional expressions play a crucial role here. Charles Darwin already noted that there are a lot of similarities in the expressions of emotions of humans and other animals. This is particularly the case with animals with whom we share a long evolutionary past, such as bonobos and chimpanzees. And don't we all recognize emotional behavior in our pets? Every animal on Earth is unique and therefore has a unique repertoire of emotions at its disposal. Mariska Kret shows us what differences there are, between humans and animals, and more importantly: what similarities.

Charles Darwin's theory of evolution offered a powerful counter-narrative against the traditional 'scala naturæ', with humans directly at the top of the gods, followed by all other animals, including plants and at the very bottom of hell. By saying that people are animals , he redefined man's place in the natural world. I embrace the lesson we can learn from this and quote another wise gentleman belonging to the order

Why blushing is (sometimes) useful-
Why did Charles Darwin care so much about blushing. Blushing is very unpleasant for most of us — you feel the attention drawn to you and you get cheeks as red as beets. But for biologist Charles Darwin, this physical response was perhaps the most extraordinary of them all. But what makes blushing so special? And does it also have its evolutionary advantages?


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