Humans and Animals: What’s at Steak

Check out the current book display on the relationship between humans and animals–broadly considered.  Read about species conservation, why people hate insects, factory farming, hunting, the evolution of humans, our bond with our pets, animal emotions and intelligence, animal rights, and more.  You can see the list of books included here.

While you’re thinking about humans and animals, you might want to check out the new report released by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).  The headline is

Nature’s Dangerous Decline ‘Unprecedented’
Species Extinction Rates ‘Accelerating’

and it reports that 1,000,000 species are threatened with extinction.  “Ecosystems, species, wild populations, local varieties and breeds of domesticated plants and animals are shrinking, deteriorating or vanishing. The essential, interconnected web of life on Earth is getting smaller and increasingly frayed,” according to Professor Josef Settele, co-chair of the assessment. “This loss is a direct result of human activity and constitutes a direct threat to human well-being in all regions of the world.”

Many publications and media outlets are featuring this news, including the science journal Nature, NPR, Slate, and the New York Times.

We humans might consider whether our behavior on this planet is beastly, and whether we could maybe hurry up and evolve into a more humane species.

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