For the Love of Dog
Newsweek US|May 26 - June 02, 2023 (Double Issue)
The hot new field of canine cognition' brings scientific insight to the burning question dog owners have: is it just puppy love?
By Adam Piore
For the Love of Dog

It's probably impossible to know exactly what your dog is thinking. But a few years ago, Gregory Berns, a neuroscientist at Emory University, decided he wanted to try and find out anyway.

The catalyst was Bern's diminutive pug Newton, a fawn-colored pooch with a friendly disposition and a small black mole on his cheek vaguely reminiscent of a young Robert De Niro. Every night for more than a decade, Newton climbed into bed with Berns and his wife and nestled his meatball-shaped head into the crook of the neuroscientist's armpit, before passing out and snoring loudly. The routine continued even after Newton grew so arthritic that he relied on a tiny-wheeled cart attached to his hind legs to tow himself around and required assistance to get into the bed.

When Newton finally passed away at the ripe old age of 97 (in dog years), Berns was so devastated that he began to ruminate on the nature of their relationship. Yes, he really had loved that little guy intensely.

But had Newton, he wondered, felt the same way about him? Berns tried not to dwell on the question.

It was sad to contemplate the possibility that for Newton their relationship might have come down to nothing more than a hankering for dog treats or a new chew toy. And how could one ever really know what went on in the head of an animal? A few months later, while watching news footage of a trained dog participating in the military operation to capture Osama bin Laden, Berns had an epiphany. If a dog could remain calm during a military raid, perhaps he could train his new pet terrier to lie still in an MRI machine long enough to scan her brain and see how she thinks.

Esta historia es de la edición May 26 - June 02, 2023 (Double Issue) de Newsweek US.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición May 26 - June 02, 2023 (Double Issue) de Newsweek US.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE NEWSWEEK USVer todo
George Lopez
Newsweek US

George Lopez

GEORGE LOPEZ HAS DONE A LOT IN HIS LONG CAREER. BUT NOW, WITH NBC's Lopez vs Lopez, George knows what's most important \"is the people you get to be around and get to talk to.\"

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 01, 2024
Asher Grodman
Newsweek US

Asher Grodman

ASHER GRODMAN IS PERFECTLY FINE PLAYING a ghost on CBS' Ghosts who walks through the afterlife without any pants. \"I don't really want to die in the state that Trevor died.

time-read
1 min  |
November 01, 2024
Last Rodeo for 'Yellowstone'
Newsweek US

Last Rodeo for 'Yellowstone'

The hit TV series is set to conclude without main man Kevin Costner, but his onscreen son Luke Grimes is convinced viewers will be surprised and satisfied by the season finale

time-read
6 minutos  |
November 01, 2024
SURVEY SAYS...
Newsweek US

SURVEY SAYS...

Exclusive polling for Newsweek on key issues highlights where presidential candidates DONALD TRUMP and KAMALA HARRIS need to win votes to succeed to the White House

time-read
10+ minutos  |
November 01, 2024
'Iran Can Be Pushed Back Against Hard'
Newsweek US

'Iran Can Be Pushed Back Against Hard'

Former British Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair talks exclusively to Newsweek about resolution in the Middle East and the role of the U.S. in achieving it

time-read
10+ minutos  |
November 01, 2024
Jenny Slate
Newsweek US

Jenny Slate

JENNY SLATE IS READY TO BE HERSELF

time-read
2 minutos  |
October 25, 2024
Mikey Madison
Newsweek US

Mikey Madison

MIKEY MADISON HAS BEEN DREAMING OF A film like Anora since she started acting as a teenager on Better Things.

time-read
2 minutos  |
October 25, 2024
AMERICA'S BEST AMBULATORY SURGERY CENTERS 2025
Newsweek US

AMERICA'S BEST AMBULATORY SURGERY CENTERS 2025

AMBULATORY SURGERY CENTERS CONTINUE to play a crucial role in modern health care.

time-read
1 min  |
October 25, 2024
THIS is a MOMENT for ARAB AMERICANS'
Newsweek US

THIS is a MOMENT for ARAB AMERICANS'

With the escalating ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR weighing heavily on Muslim voters in key battleground states, will foreign policy be KAMALA HARRIS' election downfall?

time-read
9 minutos  |
October 25, 2024
Fresh Takes on Modern Problems
Newsweek US

Fresh Takes on Modern Problems

Newsweek Horizons events series kicks off with panels on Alin medicine and climate science

time-read
2 minutos  |
October 25, 2024