I am not a person who grew up with dogs. Taiga—my first and only—came into my life when I was 29, an adventure companion that outshone all others. She is the muttiest of mutts, small and trim with foxy, rabbit-soft ears. Until recently, when people asked me what kind of dog she is, I would simply say that she’s “the best kind.” Then a lady at the post office exclaimed that Taiga was, in actuality, “a special tiny wolf,” and by Jove, that lady had it right. I introduce her proper...| The Last Word On Nothing
A recent case before the New York State Supreme Court revolved around the question of whether a dog could be considered “immediate family” under the law.| The Last Word On Nothing
Dangerous animals (truly) in a suburban backyard. Credit: Laura Helmuth| The Last Word On Nothing
Zebra jumping spider (Salticus scenicus). Betsy MasonIf you ever have the opportunity, I highly recommend making a tiny friend.| The Last Word On Nothing
I need your help. I’m trying to find a phrase to describe an important phenomenon and maybe help people recognize it more easily. The phenomenon is this: When we fix a problem, we forget it. I don’t mean you and me in “we” — we, of course, remember. But pop culture forgets, and the mass media forgets, and young people never learn about the problem or how it was solved. | The Last Word On Nothing
This is Diego. He is a Phidippus johnsoni jumping spider, and he lives on a jade plant in my front yard. There are several spiders of this species that can be found on the jade plant on any given day, but I know when it’s Diego I’ve spotted.| The Last Word On Nothing
One morning a few years ago, I woke to find I had lost most of the hearing in my left ear. In place of my usual acoustic environment was a high electronic ringing—eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee—as if a giant TV had been left on mute. Me being me, I assumed the issue would work itself out, but when it didn’t after a couple of weeks I turned to the professionals. Several thousand dollars, a couple of minor surgeries, and an MRI later, the professionals could only tell me that I didn’t have cancer...| The Last Word On Nothing