dr. dolittle

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July 3, 2012
CREDIT: © Inna-Marie Strazhnik Smaller than a grain of rice, the world's tiniest fly (Euryplatea nanaknihali, measuring only 0.4 mm) has been discovered in Thailand. According to the articles, these itty bitty bugs lay their eggs in the body of an ant where they develop and make their way to the…
June 29, 2012
Scientists have been able to keep rabbits alive for up to 15 minutes after their windpipes had been blocked by injecting microparticles (yellow in the image below) containing oxygen into their bloodstream.  These microparticles are able to deliver the life-saving oxygen directly to red blood cells…
June 27, 2012
The last known member of the subspecies Pinta Island tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra abingdoni), affectionately named Lonesome George, passed away on Sunday at about 100 years old (no one knew his exact age). He had been the last of his kind in the Galapagos Islands for the past 40 years, earning his…
June 22, 2012
In this video, Dr. Jaak Panksepp describes how he discovered that rats apparently laugh, producing an ultrasonic sound which more resembles chirping than laughter as we typically think of it: Further research by Dr. Panksepp has shown that young rats tend to be more ticklish that older rats and…
June 20, 2012
Left: Derrik Hilton, an asistant in the laboratory of Dr. Charles Ide (right) at Western Michigan University. Image from: Katie Selden / Kalamazoo Gazette Dr. Charles Ide from Western Michigan University has become a leader in the fight against Multiple symptom atrophy, or MSA, all because of…
June 18, 2012
  Image from Scientific American   Great news for cougars: According to a recent study published in The Journal of Wildlife Management, cougars (Puma concolor) are beginning to repopulate the Midwest after an extended absence going back to the early 20th century. Their population declined in the…
June 15, 2012
Image from Wikipedia: "Adélie Penguins on the ice-foot at Cape Adare in the Antarctic. Photo taken in 1911 or 1912 by George Murray Levick, a member of Robert Scott's Terra Nova Expedition. Published in Scott's Last Expedition (1913). Dodd, Mead, and Company. New York. Volume II. Page 87. Also…
June 13, 2012
I was delighted to turn on my radio this morning and hear the interview with Dr. Barbara Natterson-Horowitz (UCLA) and journalist Kathryn Bowers about their book called "Zoobiquity: What animals can teach us about health and the science of healing" on the Diane Rehm show (NPR). This book describes…
June 12, 2012
Drs. Chia Soo and Bruno Péault, from the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA, have found a way to turn stem cells from fat tissue into bone of higher quality than that grown with prior techniques. The mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from the…
June 7, 2012
I came across this relaxing video of comb jellyfish on Scientific American that I thought you would enjoy. I wonder if I could make this my screensaver...
June 7, 2012
  Idiopathic autism has been on the rise in recent years and is thought to be caused by a mixture of genetic risk factors as well as some as yet unknown environmental factors. Research suggests a link between antidepressant use by pregnant women and the development of autism. Further, some…
June 5, 2012
Scientists have been able to restore locomotion in paralyzed rats using a combination of nerve stimulation and engaging the mind by having the rats complete simple tasks (like obtaining treats).  In the newly published research, Dr. Grégroire Courtine (University of Zurich and the Swiss Federal…
May 31, 2012
As a follow up to the blog on heart disease in chimpanzees, a reader asked if chimpanzees ever develop congestive heart failure. The answer is yes, this is a common cause of death in these animals. However, the pathology differs from humans. For humans, heart disease usually results from coronary…
May 31, 2012
On a recent visit to The American Physiological Society's website, I found this amazing story on regeneration that I thought you might enjoy: This summer’s action film, “The Amazing Spider-Man™,” is another match-up between the superhero and his nemesis the Lizard. Moviegoers and comic book fans…
May 18, 2012
Image: Researcher Hans Roy opening a core sample, photo by Bo Barker Jørgensen, © Science / AAAS I was amazed to find out that there are bacteria in the ocean floor that have metabolisms roughly 10,000 times slower than those living at the surface of the seabed. This extremely slow lifestyle may…
May 16, 2012
Image: Jill Moyse (left) and Maureen Leahy (right) monitoring Keo, a 54-year-old chimpanzee in the Lincoln Park Zoo. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) Dr. Kathryn Gamble, the chief veterinarian at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, has been studying heart disease in captive chimpanzees. Over one third of…
May 9, 2012
Fish respond to fear by secreting chemicals (pheromones) designed to warn other fish of danger. To date, some of the components of this so called "Schreckstoff" (meaning fear stuff) have been identified. These include hypoxanthine-3-N-oxide (H3NO), polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, and…
May 8, 2012
New research at Emory University may be able to provide that information. Researchers Andrew Brooks, Gregory Berns, and Mark Spivak have been studying the brains of dogs using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRIs). What is unique about this work is they have been able to train two dogs,…
May 7, 2012
Image: PopSci Researchers have been finding treatments for various conditions in what might be considered by many to be the least expected place: venoms. These toxic substances can cause reactions ranging from mildly annoying to deadly depending on the animal. But in small doses or in purified…
May 4, 2012
Congratulations to all of the graduates of 2012! -Dr. Dolittle
May 2, 2012
Just in case you were ever wondering what a beetle looks like on the inside, here is a computed microtomography video of a Dryops water beetle. Other researchers are using this tool to examine the anatomy of various extant and extinct organisms. In fact, there is an online digital library of…
April 25, 2012
I have had a lot of fun at this year's Experimental Biology conference. I always enjoy attending the symposia to listen to current research news as well as interact with fellow comparative physiologists at all levels of training. Here are the highlights from the sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday:…
April 24, 2012
Meet Dr. Heidy Contreras, a Postdoctoral Fellow at The University of Arizona and the latest winner of a Starbucks gift card for showing off her pride in comparative physiology at the 2012 Experimental Biology meeting!
April 24, 2012
Here are my favorite posters from today's session: -Scott G, Schnurr ME, Yin Y, Johnston IA. "Embryonic temperature produces persistent effects on the capacity for thermal acclimation in adult zebrafish" Scott et al., found that exposing embryonic zebrafish to varying temperatures impacted the…
April 23, 2012
Meet Patricia Villalta, from the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, our final winner of the "What's New in Comparative Physiology" t-shirt contest! The letter explaining her reasons for being excited about the Experimental Biology conference were inspirational. May you always show…
April 23, 2012
Meet Dr. Rudy Ortiz from the University of California, Merced. He is a winner of our show your pride in comparative physiology at EB contest! In case you can't tell from his tie, he is passionate about his research with seals. Congratulations Rudy! Enjoy your Starbucks gift card.
April 23, 2012
Highlights from the afternoon seminars: D. Schlenk, "Estrogenic activities in marine wildlife: potential causes and population impacts" Dr. Schlenk has been studying the estrogenic effects of Bifenthrin, a pyrethroid insectide in fish populations. He observed that male fish exposed to this…
April 23, 2012
G Highlights from the morning sessions Hypoxia inducible factors in health and disease G. Haddad, "Genomic information controlling the adaptation to long term hypoxia: insights from flies and humans" Dr. Haddad's laboratory has discovered that hypoxia tolerance is inherited in flies. When naive…
April 21, 2012
I arrived in beautiful San Diego this afternoon and just checked in to the conference. I am really looking forward to the Walter Cannon Lecture this evening as well as the APS 125th Anniversary Opening Ceremony and beach party! I look forward to catching up on what's new in comparative physiology…
April 19, 2012
In looking through the online program for this years' EB, I came across additional comparative physiology seminars that I am very much looking forward to attending (to see the prior list of must-see seminars, click here): Monday April 23rd: 8:00am-10:00am: "Hypoxia Inducible Factors in Health and…