dr. dolittle
Posts by this author
May 1, 2013
Alfred Russel Wallace. Image from: NPR, Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis
Darwin is the more famous of the two when it comes to thinking about who came up with the theory of evolution. However, a man named Alfred Russel Wallace co-discovered the theory.
Alfred Wallace died 100 years ago. In honor…
April 23, 2013
Today's symposia included a session on "Integrative Cardiovascular and Respiratory Physiology of Non-model Organisms" as well as the August Krogh Distinguished Lecture.
This year's Krogh lecture was given by Dr. Stan Lindstedt from Northern Arizona University. Dr. Lindstedt is arguably best known…
April 22, 2013
Another exciting day for Comparative Physiology! I just got back to my hotel after the wonderful dinner meeting overlooking the Harbor.
Of course, the research was exciting too :)
Here are the highlights from today's sessions:
Heinrich E, Bradley T. Univ California, Irvine I learned a lot about…
April 21, 2013
The Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology section held their Scholander Poster competition for young comparative physiologists today! It was exciting to see all of the students present their work.
Here are some of the highlights:
Raffaele Pilla, Dominic P, D'Agostino, Carol S. Landon, and Jay B…
April 20, 2013
As always, the opening ceremony for the American Physiological Society at the Experimental Biology meeting was awesome! The food was probably the best I have had at these meetings, which along with the fun band, probably explains why it was jam-packed with Physiologists eager to kick-start this…
April 18, 2013
Image of a Giant African land snail from a Florida Department of Agriculture Division of Plant Industry handout.
Giant African land snails, like the one pictured above, are reportedly "one of the world's most destructive invasive species" as they not only consume over 500 plant species, they can…
April 15, 2013
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston) have successfully regenerated kidneys that were unsuitable for transplantation. They stripped the tissue of all native cells, then added donor stem cells to the scaffolding that was left behind. The re-animated kidneys successfully created…
April 12, 2013
Dr. Kelly Swanson, a professor of animal and nutritional sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign just published an article on the topic of pet obesity in the Journal of Animal Science. His research is designed to explore how foods alter gene expression in our pets, a field…
April 10, 2013
3D image of a brain made transparent using the CLARITY technique. Image from: Deisseroth Lab as posted in The NY Times
I have to admit I love the science section of The New York Times. The topic today: Dr. Karl Deisseroth and colleagues at Stanford University have developed a technique called …
April 7, 2013
The underbelly of a painted turtle. Image from: Tracey Haynes Photographs
Now we can add Western painted turtles (Chrysemys picta bellii) to the list of species to have their genome sequenced. The goal of sequencing their genome was to try to find genes that control the ability of these animals…
March 29, 2013
Fluorescing millipedes. Image credit: Robert Kimsey
Alcatraz is even more exciting that I had previously thought! Early last year the National Park Service had baited rats on the island with a non-toxic fluorescent food dye so they could track the animals as they left behind fluorescent …
March 27, 2013
I am so excited! The Experimental Biology meeting is only 23 days away and is already reportedly on track to be one of the largest meetings yet. I can't wait to catch up on what's new in comparative physiology at the meeting (along with many other topics). I will be sure to share the highlights.
March 23, 2013
Entomologist Dr. Coby Schal at North Carolina State University studies the chemicals involved in insect communication in an effort to more effectively manage pests. His big interest is in chemical communication using pheromones and how they impact mating and other behaviors. His research has aided…
March 16, 2013
Here's to the physiology of drinking beer on St. Patrick's Day:
Cheers!!
March 11, 2013
Apparently I have too much free time on my hands today. I came across this cute video describing how the digestive system of a horse differs from that of humans. The video was created by Jill Johnston, a student at University of New Hampshire, Manchester.
March 11, 2013
In honor of the 125th anniversary of The American Physiological Society, a history of its founding was just published in Advances in Physiology Education. It reads like a Who's Who list of some of the most important contributors to our understanding of modern physiology. Where would physiology…
March 11, 2013
I just came across two blogs dedicated to all things jellyfish:
JellyBiologist
Jellyfish Aquarist
Who knew there were so many people interested in jellyfish to warrant such wonderful blogs! I admit spending a lot of my free time this weekend on these blogs reading about these fascinating creatures…
March 8, 2013
Honeybee visiting a coffee flower, photo from Geraldine Wright
Apparently humans and honeybees share something in common when it comes to caffeine. Dr. Geraldine Wright (Newcastle University, England) discovered that bees are more likely to return to flowers that produce nectar containing…
March 6, 2013
Image from Flickr EOL; Taken by Arthur Chapman
The animation below from Nature shows a bacteria rupturing after landing on nanopillars present on the surface of a clanger cicada (Psaltoda claripennis) wing. Dr. Ivanova (Swinburne University, Australia) and colleagues showed that nanopillars…
March 3, 2013
Image from: Wikipedia, P7r7
New research from Dr. Daniel Robert and colleagues at the University of Bristol shows that bees are not only attracted to the bright colors and smells of flowers, they can also sense their electrical field.
It has been known that bees develop positive charges as…
February 27, 2013
I read an interesting article today on how eating insects may save the world. The rationale: eating insects are not only nutritious (high in protein and fat), but would also help to save the Earth's resources as the human population continues to expand.
According to Aaron T. Dossey, a biochemist,…
February 20, 2013
Image of rat teeth from Scienceline (credit: The International Rice Research Institute, flickr.com)
What does tooth decay have to do with rats? For Neandertals, tooth decay was a rare occurance. Research suggests that tooth decay became more prominent with the development of agriculture. Dr.…
February 18, 2013
Image of beagle from www.dogbreedinfo.com/beagle.htm
Diabetes is characterized by high blood sugar. The cause of high blood sugar differs for people with type 1 versus type 2 diabetes. For type 1 diabetics, the pancreas produces little or no insulin, the hormone responsible for lowering blood…
February 15, 2013
Trace amounts of oxazepam in rivers has large effects on wild perch. Image credit: Brent Christensen
Dr. Tomas Brodin (Umea University, Sweden) and colleagues have discovered that trace amounts of the drug oxazepam that ends up in rivers and streams (from toilets) greatly effects local…
February 11, 2013
Image from: Collectors Weekly
Ever wonder how to tell if "scientific" information that you find on the internet is believable or just plain bogus? I came across a website called Sense About Science that explains how research is published and how to determine if it is credible. They also give…
February 6, 2013
Image of Dr. Brian Hare from Dognition website.
I just found out there is a website, Dognition, dedicated to helping you discover just how smart your furry friend is. The site claims that dogs are actually smarter than we think and that even the apparently dumbest dog is intelligent in one way…
February 4, 2013
Image of camel from ukmedix news.
Researchers from King Abdulaziz University (Jeddah) have tested the effectiveness of micro and nanoshells for delivering a substance from camel urine, PMF701, thought to be a cure for cancer. These findings will be presented at the 2nd Biotechnology World…
February 1, 2013
An artist’s reconstruction of the kipunji (Lophocebus kipunji), drawn from a research video shot in the Ndundulu Forest in southern Tanzania and officially described in 2003. Image fromNATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
I just read an interesting article published in The Scientist today about…
January 29, 2013
You may recall a prior blog entry about a new experimental treatment for bone cancer in dogs. Researchers are increasingly studying canine cancer and discovering that it is caused by some of the same genetic mutations that cause cancer in humans.
Shown in the image above is Jasper, a 7-year…
January 26, 2013
Image of yellow lab from Wikimedia Commons
New genetic analyses supports the argument that the domestication of man's best friend coincided with the advent of argiculture and human settlements. Researchers Erik Axelsson (Uppsala University, Sweden) and colleagues present evidence suggesting that…