Call it instinct, but something compels some animals to behave in certain ways, perhaps programs in their genes. Researchers have directly connected activities of genes with instinctive behavior in ...

How exactly does a newly-hatched spider weave a perfect web that is characteristic of his or her species—without ever even having seen such a web, let alone having been trained to spin one? How do ...

This is a passionate (and at times polemical) survey of what contemporary neuroscience has to say about the nature of instinct. Actually, as it turns out, it might be more accurate to say the "nurture ...

Scientists from the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour have debunked the myth that the instinct to flee from a threat is not just a reflex, but a series of complex ...

Some dogs are born with a powerful instinct to chase, stalk, and pursue. These traits once made them exceptional hunters, herders, or working companions. Known as prey drive, this natural behavior ...

Instinctive parents follow their gut when parenting decisions, rarely relying on outside sources for advice. They protective of their kids, and can nearly always recognize their child's cues, whether ...

How exactly does a newly-hatched spider weave a perfect web that is characteristic of his or her species—without ever even having seen such a web, let alone having been trained to spin one? How do ...