Animal cognition scientists at Emory University trained dogs to lie still in an MRI machine and used fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) to measure their neural responses to the smell of people and dogs, both familiar and unknown. Because dogs navigate the world through their noses, the way they process smell offers a lot of potential insight into social behavior.⁠ The scientists found that dog owners’ smells triggered a region in the dog’s brain regarded as the “reward center”; this area of the brain is called the caudate nucleus. Of all the different smells to take in, dogs prioritized the hint of humans over anything or anyone else.⁠ ⁠ Studies suggest that dogs feel complex emotions, like jealousy and anticipation. Among other surprising findings, the study revealed marked similarities in the way dog and human brains process emotionally laden vocal sounds. Researchers found that happy sounds, in particular, light up the auditory cortex in both species. This commonality spea...