iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Alice Auersperg

ARAA @araa.at · 01/10/2026

#HotOffThePress 🔥🖊️ “From the “sticker” to the “seed” slide: Challenges testing concurrent tooling in Goffin's cockatoos” 🦜🛠️ Oct 2026. Acta Psychologica. @raccoonologist.bsky.social, S.R. Beck, S. Tebbich & @auersperga.bsky.social doi.org/10.1016/j.ac...

doi.org

Redirecting

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Tay (Antonio J. Osuna Mascaró) @biotay.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Meet Veronika the cow, clever octopuses, smart kunekune pigs, and the wonderful Goffin's cockatoos. A documentary by Feuer & Flamme Film for those of you with access to ORF 2. CC @auersperga.bsky.social

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ARAA @araa.at · 24/09/2026

#HotOffThePress 🔥🖊️ “Body awareness in Goffin’s cockatoos (Cacatua goffiniana)” 🦜 Sept 2026. Scientific Reports. P. Hundegger, R. Folkertsma, @drracheldale.bsky.social, @auersperga.bsky.social & @biotay.bsky.social doi.org/10.1038/s415...

doi.org

Body awareness in Goffin’s cockatoos (Cacatua goffiniana) - Scientific Reports

Scientific Reports - Body awareness in Goffin’s cockatoos (Cacatua goffiniana)

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Christoph Völter @christophvoelter.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Join us in Vienna! We are looking for a #PhD student and a #Postdoc to investigate #innovation in great #apes: PhD ad: share.eva.mpg.de/index.php/s/... Postdoc ad: share.eva.mpg.de/index.php/s/... Application deadline: August 17th. Please share widely!

A chimp solving a puzzle box problem. Photo credit: MPI-EVA

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Gabriella E. Smith, PhD @explanimals.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Dream PhD opening! Innovation in wild falcons! Application deadline Aug 1🦅

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Alice Auersperg @auersperga.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

We have an exciting new position in our group for a PhD on parrot innovation !!! The position will be part of our new @fwf-at.bsky.social Emerging Fields project with @barbaraklump.bsky.social , @mohara.bsky.social , @christophvoelter.bsky.social and Justus Piater. Apply & share!!

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Dr Jen Colbourne 🇨🇦🏳️‍🌈 @raccoonologist.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

I knew her podcast would be good, Poppy is talented etc etc. But I’m a podcast junkie. I listen to 6-7 dif ones a day, easily. I’m picky. So what a relief to discover that the new Living Biology podcast is not just good, but EXCELLENT. Drawn in immediately, easy to follow, great storytelling. A+ 🤩

sebiology.org

SEB Podcast: Living Biology

Conversations exploring the science, people, and ideas shaping experimental biology today

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Barbara Klump @barbaraklump.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Join us in Vienna! We are looking for a PhD student and a Postdoc to investigate innovation in corvids within the “Comparative ecological innovation styles” project funded by @fwf-at.bsky.social. More info: barbaraklump.com Application deadline July 24th. Please share widely!

A carrion crow holding a walnut. Photo: @valentine-comin.bsky.social

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Christian Nawroth @goatswhostare.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

New paper out with the Buttercups goats!

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Alice Auersperg @auersperga.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Our new Paper with @susanamonso.com and @biotay.bsky.social is out. It tests one of the components of Susana Monso's minimal concept of death in a Touch Screen Setup: sensitivity to permanent non-functionality. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Tay (Antonio J. Osuna Mascaró) @biotay.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

1/16 Do other species understand death? In this study with cockatoos, we approach this question from its foundation, by studying one of its central components: sensitivity to the permanent loss of a function. I will explain it in this thread (with videos) (paper) www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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The Royal Society @royalsociety.org · 01/06/2026

Professor Lars Chittka FRS is elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. His work has transformed our understanding of animal intelligence by demonstrating that bees, despite their tiny brains, exhibit advanced cognitive abilities such as counting, attention and others. #RSFellows bit.ly/49xJuRy

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Magdalena Boch 🏳️‍🌈🇪🇺🇦🇹 @magdalenaboch.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

(1/2) Hiring! 🤸🧠🐩 Postdoc position in my new group @univie.ac.at & Messerli Research Institute on the neuro-cognitive foundations and evolution of sociality across humans, dogs, and other carnivorans. 📍 Vienna 📅 Application deadline: 26 July 2026 ℹ️ shortifyme.co/p3NjN

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Magdalena Boch 🏳️‍🌈🇪🇺🇦🇹 @magdalenaboch.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

(2/2) The postdoc will have the opportunity to develop their own research project, with access to human and awake dog neuroimaging, behavioural, and psychophysiological facilities, as well as unique comparative datasets. Happy to answer any questions & please share with potential candidates!

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ARAA @araa.at · 20/05/2026

Two post doc positions at the Messerli Institute of Vetmeduni Vienna, including a few topics on parrots! Deadline July 26. www.vetmeduni.ac.at/fileadmin/v/...

vetmeduni.ac.at

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Alice Auersperg @auersperga.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Heavenly hornbills at Birdparadise singapore !

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Alice Auersperg @auersperga.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Another visit from the otters (fieldwork with @theroesa.bsky.social )

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Alice Auersperg @auersperga.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Having just fed, he's now got some moves

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Alice Auersperg @auersperga.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Mature females can be identified by their red eye colouration (fieldwork with @theroesa.bsky.social )

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Alice Auersperg @auersperga.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Long John is still around, seen together with his partner in a Ketapang tree... the eye injury has no effect on his cracking skills.

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Comparative Cognition Society @compcogsoc.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

In Part I of the #OutstandingStudentPresentation at #CO32026, we heard behavioural findings from 7 exceptional students. Two major themes emerged: The effects of variation in developmental conditions and mechanisms for learning revealed by #memorytasks.

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Tay (Antonio J. Osuna Mascaró) @biotay.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

There's a really long discussion on Wikipedia about whether our study of Veronika is fake and the videos were generated by AI My favorite part is where they even bring up Russian military intelligence haha Human beings are extraordinary ٩๏̯͡๏)۶ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Ve...

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Alice Auersperg @auersperga.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

Our new emerging field within the excellence initiative of the @fwf-at.bsky.social will look into the process of innovation across apes, parrots, corvids and embodied artificial agents with @mohara.bsky.social @barbaraklump.bsky.social @christophvoelter.bsky.social

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Tay (Antonio J. Osuna Mascaró) @biotay.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

2/2 On the left, Alice Auersperg (@auersperga.bsky.social) with Veronika and her new fancy broom. On the right is a photo of me with the ever-great Witgar Wiegele.

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Current Biology @currentbiology.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

This is who runs this account

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Current Biology @currentbiology.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

Cover girl Veronika is making headlines across the globe🐂 (animal cleverness trumps human stupidity) Notably, she is a 'companion cow' not used for meat or dairy. Maybe if we saw other creatures less as a means to an end, we could appreciate their richness better... www.cell.com/current-biol...

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Tay (Antonio J. Osuna Mascaró) @biotay.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

I have prepared a video summarizing the study. Please come back here after reading the thread : ) youtu.be/bAk4PFEuWKQ English also youtu.be/CETjjZBMT5c Spanish youtu.be/tkpjlCxDJZA German (Thanks to Esau Dharma for providing the Spanish voice for Witgar Wiegele!)

youtu.be

Flexible use of a multi-purpose tool by a cow

YouTube video by Antonio Jose Osuna Mascaró

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Österreichischer Wissenschaftsfonds FWF @fwf-at.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

Die klügste #Kuh der Welt: Veronika aus Kärnten verblüfft mit ihrem intelligenten Gebrauch von Werkzeugen. Ihr spezialisierter Besengebrauch wird von Kognitionsforschenden untersucht. #FWF-funded @auersperga.bsky.social @biotay.bsky.social 🐮 via @derstandard.at www.derstandard.at/story/300000...

derstandard.at

Die klügste Kuh der Welt kommt aus Kärnten

Ein Rindvieh aus dem Gailtal kratzt buchstäblich an unseren Vorstellungen von Tierintelligenz: Bei Veronika wurde nämlich flexibler Werkzeuggebrauch nachgewiesen

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Tom Leslie @scitomm.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

Last week I had the privilege of speaking with @auersperga.bsky.social and @biotay.bsky.social about a very talented cow. She's called Veronika, she's fabulous and she's currently getting a lot of well-deserved attention. Here's my piece for @iflscience.com: www.iflscience.com/we-didnt-eve...

iflscience.com

“We Didn't Even Think About Looking”: Broom-Wielding Veronika Shows Tool Use In Cows Isn't So Absurd After All

Veronika the cow is the first documented example of flexible, multipurpose tool use in cattle – and she’s also a very good girl.

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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 20/01/2026

Cows itch, just like us. But Veronika the cow takes things into her own hands. Or rather: into her mouth. Scientists say it’s the first experimentally verified instance of cattle using a tool. wapo.st/3NzJ84A

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Tay (Antonio J. Osuna Mascaró) @biotay.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

Cow Tools! We have lived alongside cows for nearly 10,000 years. We breed them and exploit them It is now, only now, that we have discovered THEY CAN USE TOOLS Here I describe our study (paper) www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... in @currentbiology.bsky.social with @auersperga.bsky.social

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Alice Auersperg @auersperga.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

Veronika‚s Story in the New York Times www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/s...

nytimes.com

Do Cows Use Tools? This One Does.

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Chris Simms @chrisnsimms.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

The perfect story to take your mind off other news: Veronika, a cow in Austria, has been documented not only using a tool - a broomstick - but using it in different ways to scratch different parts of her body. 🧪 #animals #animalbehavior #intelligence www.livescience.com/animals/land...

livescience.com

Ever seen a pet cow pick up a broom and scratch herself with it? You have now

A pet cow in Austria started using a broom to scratch herself — the first ever documented case of bovine tool use.

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Florian Aigner @florianaigner.at · 19/01/2026

Verrückter Fakt des Tages #vfdt heute hochaktuell: Veronika, eine Kuh aus Kärnten, verwendet offenbar gezielt und überlegt Werkzeuge. Sie zeigt ein Niveau von Werkzeugnutzung, das man bisher nur von Schimpansen kannte. science.orf.at/stories/3233...

science.orf.at

Kluge Kärntner Kuh verblüfft Wissenschaft

Die 13-jährige Veronika aus Kärnten könnte die klügste Kuh der Welt sein. Denn sie verwendet Werkzeuge gezielt und flexibel. Wenn es sie juckt, kratzt sie sich mit einem Besen – abhängig von der Körpe...

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Alice Auersperg @auersperga.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

Our new paper (with @biotay.bsky.social) is out and on the cover story of @currentbiology.bsky.social !!!! Veronika, a Carinthian mountain cow flexibly uses a “multi-purpose tool” to scratch herself. A video and more information will follow in the comments. www.cell.com/current-biol...

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Alice Auersperg @auersperga.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

A fun and informative video by @zefrank.bsky.social (True Facts) about our research on Goffin's cockatoos!! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq9J...

youtube.com

True Facts: Is The Goffin's Cockatoo The Smartest Bird?

YouTube video by Ze Frank

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Dr Jen Colbourne 🇨🇦🏳️‍🌈 @raccoonologist.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

I had the honour of working to bring @auersperga.bsky.social’s baby to life. It’s a VERY heavy baby - over 200 references (and yes I read them all) - but necessary to do justice to our new hypothesis of combinatory tool use origins 📝👶🛠️ onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

The flexible, the stereotyped and the in‐between: putting together the combinatory tool use origins hypothesis

Tool use research has long made the distinction between tool using that is considered learned and flexible, and that which appears to be instinctive and stereotyped. However, animals with an inherite...

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Gabriella E. Smith, PhD @explanimals.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

How do curiosity and surprise intersect following a violation of expectation? Read our paper here🔥 @auersperga.bsky.social @ivojacobs.bsky.social @elifduran.bsky.social

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