Q. I notice you sometimes include scientific names of animals in your columns. One time you identified a timber rattlesnake; another time, two turtles (an Alabama redbelly turtle and a stinkpot).

Charlotte Sleigh's book The Paper Zoo explores 500 years of scientific animal illustration as seen in the collections of the British Library. Cover of The Paper Zoo (courtesy University of Chicago ...

Rats are fascinating study subjects because of their unique status in the scientific community and laboratory environment! They aren’t just good at solving mazes, they can comprehend complex concepts ...