Michigan State University contributed these images to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

While pandas have been intensively observed for at least three decades, some of the most prominent beliefs about the animals are more conventional wisdom than actual fact. Re-analyzing data from a wealth of panda studies, Michigan State University researchers now show pandas are more comfortable in a range of habitats than conservationists have feared, meaning even restored forests could soon welcome pandas back. Read more about the research in "Tao of Pandas: Sometimes They Go With the Flow" and see images from some of the studies below.

One subject of study

A panda wearing a GPS collar captured in a camera trap in Wolong Nature Reserve. (Credit: Sue Nichols, Michigan State University.)

Practice, practice, practice

A baby panda practices climbing in the Wolong Nature Reserve. (Credit: Sue Nichols, Michigan State University.)

Learning a useful skill

Pandas learn to forage in their enclosures at the Wolong Nature Reserve. (Credit: Sue Nichols, Michigan State University.)

Snoozing

A napping panda at the Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwestern China. (Credit: Kurt Stepnitz, Michigan State University.)

Chowing down

A panda feeds on bamboo at the Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwestern China. (Credit: Kurt Stepnitz, Michigan State University.)

Pushing it

This panda at the Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwestern China looks ready for a workout. (Credit: Kurt Stepnitz, Michigan State University.)

Video of a munching panda in Wolong. (Credit: Sue Nichols, Michigan State University.)

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