What differentiates humans from other living beings is our ability to communicate, our complex reasoning, and our use of skilled hands and smart brains to build houses, cities, and societies. We are able to learn. We penetrate into the unknown. We dominate our planet. For thousands of years, we have learned to live close to animals. By bending some species to our will, we now can drink their milk, eat their eggs and meat, use their fur, and employ their power to grow our crops. As we are gaining a more complete understanding of our physiology, we are observing that we are not so different from them and other life forms. By studying them, we can sharpen our senses, treat diseases, and overcome some of our weaknesses. By observing their unique capabilities, we invent ways to emulate their performances in areas where evolution has helped them excel. Animals have helped us build our human culture and civilization. We still take advantage of them, even push them back into ever more restr
