“Crow people have been a big source of inspiration for the work that I make,” multimedia artist Wendy Red Star, who grew up on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana, told us for #BriefButSpectacular. “Finding out their name and who they were and where that photograph was taken and the context of that. Being an artist, making art, culturally, it is so important. It's what we're remembered by,” Red Star added. “I need to make art. And if I don't make art, then I'm not fundamentally me.” | PBS New

When a crow discovers a deceased member of its species, it initiates an alarm call that recruits other crows to gather and "mob" the area. Far from a simple emotional response, researchers believe these "funerals" are actually investigative survival briefings used to assess environmental risks. During these gatherings, crows remain highly alert, using their advanced cognitive skills to determine what killed their companion. By observing the scene, they learn to identify new predators and identif