New paper: the odors of nature and human health

A growing body of empirical evidence is revealing the value of nature experience for mental health. With rapid urbanization and declines in human contact with nature globally, crucial decisions must be made about how to preserve and enhance opportunities for nature...

New paper: electronic nut measures foraging skill

We present a three-part sensing system to measure the acquisition of foraging proficiency in wild tree squirrels. The eNut is a 3-D printed enclosure in the size and shape of large tree seed.  Chauhan, M. S., A. Chauhan, M. Bayen, F. Wu, F. A. Althukair, M. T. Kaiser,...

New paper: Animal Cognition, 25th Anniversary Issue

Debates on embodied cognition largely ignore the sense of smell. Yet chemosensation is mediated by the widest range animal sensorimotor systems, embedded in all physical environments. Jacobs LF (2023) The PROUST hypothesis: the embodiment of olfactory cognition. Anim...

New paper: Squirrel socioeconomics

Amanda Robin (Jacobs lab as undergrad, now completing her UCLA Ph.D. dissertation on squirrel ecology and cognition) and Lucia take on an invited challenge: review the best stuff published on squirrel cognition in the last 5 years (with limited self citation). In 2500...

New paper: Why olfaction matters

In a special issue on evolutionary neuroscience, Lucia proposes that the importance of nasal respiration in humans is a cognitive fossil from our fish ancestors, which explains the paradox of the dolphin. Jacobs LF (2022) How the evolution of air breathing shaped...

New paper: Parkour learning in squirrels

Squirrel Olympics! Published today in Science – Lucia began this project in 2014 when she was awarded a residency at the newly inaugurated art-science incubator  Stochastic Labs , to create art inspired by squirrel behavior. Instead, she recruited 6 students to...