A New York Times article about unlikely animal pairings featured Gordon Burghardt. The Alumni Distinguished Service Professor in the Departments of Psychology and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology studies animals at play. Burghardt defines play as a repeated behavior that should not contribute to survival. It is spontaneous and voluntary, performed when the animal is healthy and free from stress. “There’s no question that studying these relationships can give you some insight into the factors that go into normal relationships,” said Burghardt in the article.