Emily Anthes

I'm so sorry. She looks lovely.

And that jar of fur looks just like the one we got.

Keeping you in my thoughts.

Why Are Cats Such a Medical Black Box? (Gift Article) Many aspects of feline health remain a mystery, even to experts. Our cat-owning reporter learned this the hard way.

I'm starting a regular column, called "Pet Theory," about our creature companions. The first installment is out now, and it's a personal one. Gift link below.

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/11/s...

I'd like to hear from current and former employees at USDA-APHIS (esp PPQ & VS) and USDA-ARS. Happy to keep your identity confidential or even just talk off the record, if that's what you'd prefer.

You can reach me at emily.anthes@nytimes.com or on Signal at emilyanthes.41

I'm a science reporter at The New York Times, and I'm trying to learn more about how these terminations could affect ecology and conservation research. I'd love to hear from you. You can reach me at emily.anthes@nytimes.com or on Signal at emilyanthes.41

I'm a science reporter at The New York Times, and I'm trying to learn more about how these terminations could affect ecology and conservation research. I'd love to hear from you. You can reach me at emily.anthes@nytimes.com or on Signal at emilyanthes.41

Can a Golden Retriever Win at Westminster? History Says No. (Gift Article) They are among the most popular dogs in the United States, but at the biggest dog show in the world, they are never (never!) best in show.

Also, check out my colleague Sarah Lyall's amazing deep dive into the golden retriever's long losing streak www.nytimes.com/2025/02/09/s...

But how much does breed shape a dog’s health and behavior?

It's "Best in Show" day at Westminster today, so I wrote a brief explainer on the history and science of dog breeds. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/09/s...

Cows Have Been Infected With a Second Form of Bird Flu (Gift Article) A new version of the virus is widespread in wild birds but had not previously been detected in cows.

BREAKING: Dairy cows in Nevada have been infected with a new form of bird flu that is distinct from the version that has been spreading through herds over the last year

w/ @emilyanthes.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/2025/02/05/h...

Yep, same here! Deceptively complex.

“Dr. Bartolucci estimated that the team’s research involved the consumption of 11 pounds of pecorino cheese.”

The Perfect Cacio e Pepe Recipe, According to Science

Delightful story.

“The authors were aware they were treading on sensitive ground. ‘I hope that eight Italian authors is enough,’ said Ivan Di Terlizzi’ a statistical physicist at the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems”

www.nytimes.com/2025/01/24/s...

Aww

The Animal Celebrities Who Surprised, Soothed and Screamed at Us in 2024 (Gift Article) Moo Deng the pygmy hippo, Flaco the escaped eagle-owl, Charlotte the maybe-pregnant stingray — they distracted us from the messy human world but were also clear reflections of it.

ICYMI: I tried to extract (a tiny amount of) meaning from the menagerie of animals that went viral in 2024 www.nytimes.com/2024/12/25/s...

Thanks for spending yet more time chatting about Charlotte!

The Animal Celebrities Who Surprised, Soothed and Screamed at Us in 2024 Moo Deng the pygmy hippo, Flaco the escaped eagle-owl, Charlotte the maybe-pregnant stingray — they distracted us from the messy human world but were also clear reflections of it.

I’m quoted in this New York Times year-in-review article about animal stories, talking about the Charlotte the pregnant stingray story.

www.nytimes.com/2024/12/25/s...

Thanks @emilyanthes.bsky.social !

🧪🌎🦑🦈

Thanks for reading!

A young girl in heart-shaped sunglasses and a light blue dress sitting on the stairs and petting a big gray dog.

Found this new-to-me childhood photo when cleaning out my uncle’s apartment this weekend.

For Wild Animals, the Bird Flu Disaster Is Already Here (Gift Article) Scientists are concerned that the H5N1 virus could set off another human pandemic. But it is already putting species under pressure in the wild.

Oh, and if you hit a paywall, here's the unlocked version: www.nytimes.com/2024/12/13/s...

For Wild Animals, the Bird Flu Disaster Is Already Here Scientists are concerned that the H5N1 virus could set off another human pandemic. But it is already putting species under pressure in the wild.

Experts worry that the bird flu virus known as H5N1 might eventually set off the next pandemic.

But for the world’s wild birds, the deadly, uncontained outbreak is already here.

“The scale of the mortalities is truly unprecedented,” one ecologist said.

www.nytimes.com/2024/12/13/s...

Can These Ex-Hollywood Chimps Find a Place Among the Apes? Behind the scenes at a Chicago zoo, chimpanzees who spent years entertaining humans are learning to befriend their own kind.

What a perfect first post. Check out this @nytimes.com story about rescued #chimpanzees and the people who work together to advocate for them, including my colleagues at Lincoln Park Zoo. Great story by @emilyanthes.bsky.social (thank you!). #animalwelfare

www.nytimes.com/2024/11/15/s...

Let’s Discuss: ‘Our Rodent Selfies, Ourselves’ What can two rats teach us about our addiction to social media? Read the article and post your comments and questions for Emily Anthes by Dec. 5.

We've started a fun new FREE thing on the Learning Network where teens can discuss NYT articles with the journalists who wrote them.

Up next is this delightful piece, featuring 21 rat selfies, by @emilyanthes.bsky.social, whose beat is animal science.

www.nytimes.com/2024/11/21/l...

From Chimpan-A to Chimpanzee, These Apes May Have Humanlike Culture Researchers describe a link between genetic relatedness and sophisticated tool use in primates in East and Central Africa, suggesting their culture is cumulative.

I know a @michaelroston.bsky.social headline when I see one www.nytimes.com/2024/11/21/s...

What Trump’s Return Could Mean for Animals A second Trump administration could alter the lives of all sorts of animals, whether they live in laboratories, zoos, fields or forests.

Good overview of what a second Trump term could mean for animals, via @emilyanthes.bsky.social & @catrineinhorn.bsky.social: www.nytimes.com/2024/11/20/s...

Thank you!

Thank you!

Good article on megafires by @emilyanthes.bsky.social
in @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2023/10/15/s...

How Megafires Are Remaking the World In our Pyrocene age, enormous wildfires aren’t merely damaging ecosystems but transforming them.

Fire is a natural phenomenon that is critical to the health of some ecosystems, and many species are remarkably resilient in the face of flames. But as fires intensify, they are beginning to outstrip nature’s ability to bounce back. 🧪 My latest: www.nytimes.com/2023/10/15/s...

Thank you! And yes, I love the photos, too!

In the Big City, Wildlife Researchers Are on the Prowl Scientists are studying urban animals and the diseases they carry, to understand the potential risks to people, pets and the animals themselves.

. @emilyanthes.bsky.social reported this story from Queens, where she spent six hours observing raccoon and opossum swabbing. www.nytimes.com/2023/10/03/s...

Extreme Weather Is Coming. Someone Has to Tell the Chimps. How do you teach 300 chimpanzees to seek safety in a storm? With cowbells, sound machines and a bright orange Frisbee.

come for the chimps training for emergency drills, stay for the whiteboard of chimp room assignments. such a fun story by @emilyanthes.bsky.social!
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/08/science/extreme-weather-chimpanzees.html