Following the death of relatives or members of their group, many nonhuman animals act in abnormal ways. From a human perspective, these unusual behaviours, such as staying with the dead for days, can resemble something like grief. But is this a case of projection, or simply in line with decades of scientific research eroding the idea of human exceptionalism? Taking viewers through a series of fascinating examples and studies, this TED-Ed animation brushes up against the edges of our current understanding of grief in nonhuman animals, as well as the ethical implications that these limits have for how we treat animals today.
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Bioethics
What a 1970 experiment reveals about the possibility and perils of ‘head transplants’
6 minutes
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History of technology
Replicating Shakespearean-era printing brings its own dramas and comedy
19 minutes
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Animals and humans
The wild tale of a young animal keeper, an angry tiger and a torn circle net
10 minutes
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Technology and the self
Why single Chinese women are freezing their eggs in California
24 minutes
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The ancient world
Petty squabbles and bloody battles – the life of an ancient Roman soldier
18 minutes
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Childhood and adolescence
The police camp where tween girls enter a sisterhood of law and order
28 minutes
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Astronomy
The remarkable innovations inspired by our need to know the night sky
5 minutes
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War and peace
‘She is living on in many hearts’ – Otto Frank on the legacy of his daughter’s diary
12 minutes
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Art
Why Diego Velázquez needed a lifetime to paint his enigmatic masterpiece
31 minutes