Barbara J. King
Barbara J. King is a contributor to the NPR blog 13.7: Cosmos & Culture. She is a Chancellor Professor of Anthropology at the College of William and Mary. With a long-standing research interest in primate behavior and human evolution, King has studied baboon foraging in Kenya and gorilla and bonobo communication at captive facilities in the United States.
Recently, she has taken up writing about animal emotion and cognition more broadly, including in bison, farm animals, elephants and domestic pets, as well as primates.
King's most recent book is How Animals Grieve (University of Chicago Press, 2013). Her article "When Animals Mourn" in the July 2013 Scientific American has been chosen for inclusion in the 2014 anthology The Best American Science and Nature Writing. King reviews non-fiction for the Times Literary Supplement (London) and is at work on a new book about the choices we make in eating other animals. She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for her work in 2002.
-
Simon Beck's large-scale snow images — like the one made earlier this month in Minneapolis — bring extra beauty to this cold winter season, says commentator Barbara J. King.
-
Following the example of an elephant caught on video that apparently thanked human rescuers, anthropologist Barbara King gives a shout-out to new campaigns that help farmed animals.
-
When was the last time you got really excited by good science depicted in a movie? Anthropologist Barbara J. King joined scientists last week in helping producers make more accurate TV and movies.
-
From real-life, seaweed-carrying dolphins to fictional singing seahorses, animals in these new books can excite the mind, says anthropologist Barbara J. King.
-
Tiny filler words in human rapid-fire conversation hold the key to understanding how language is unique, according to a new book. But anthropologist Barbara J. King raises some questions.
-
Activist Tobias Leenaert counsels vegans and vegetarians to focus on vegan meals rather than vegan identities — and to talk encouragingly with meat reducers, says anthropologist Barbara J. King.
-
Technology allows mapping of wildlife movements with new precision — and a fresh approach to conservation — as evidenced by Where the Animals Go, released Tuesday in the U.S., says Barbara J. King.
-
When it comes to finding and preparing food, we're a continually inventive species. Anthropologist Barbara J. King asks: What are the food trends of the future?
-
There can be wisdom in uniting around ethical eating, rather than fighting about how many animal products we consume, says anthropologist Barbara J. King.
-
Socializing newborn kittens and reframing the reputation of pit bull dogs is key to a new animal initiative aimed at saving 90 percent of animals in U.S. shelters, says anthropologist Barbara J. King.