Posts by Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and a historian of early modern Britain & the Atlantic world. She holds a BA in History and Mathematics from Brown University and an MA in European & Russian Studies from Yale University. Madeleine has worked in archives and museums for years with a particular focus on photography and arts education. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, film photography, and studying law while cuddling with her cat Georgia.
Animals
January 17, 2022

Study Finds That 65 Different Species of Animals Laugh To Express Happiness

Laughing rats and dogs may seem more like something out of a Disney animated film than of real life, but they do exist. While neither species laughs like a human giggles, each has their own joyful noise. A recent UCLA study published in Bioacoustics discovered that 65 animal species have their own form of “laughter.” Among the species who make such playful vocalizations are seals, dogs, rats, and mongooses.

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Renaissance Art
January 7, 2022

Explore Rembrandt’s Famous Painting “The Night Watch” in New 717-Gigapixel Photo

Rembrandt van Rijn is perhaps the most well-known of the Dutch Masters. During the Golden Age of the Netherlands, his expressive brushwork conjured realistic scenes and expressive portraits. The Night Watch is chief among his masterpieces. The iconic painting is a 12-by-14-foot canvas illustrating 34 figures of an early modern militia. Now, this monumental work can be explored in microscopic detail through a 717-gigapixel photograph of the work.

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Birds
January 4, 2022

White-Necked Raven Can Accurately Mimic Human Voices

Ravens are extremely intelligent birds. Members of the Corvus genus, their behavior has long fascinated birders, scientists, and even authors such as Edgar Allen Poe. Studies have demonstrated that at four months old the sleek black birds have intelligence equivalent to that of adult apes. They can be trained to perform a number of clever tricks—including matching colors, retrieving objects, and even mimicking human voices with shocking realism.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.