Life Science
dr. dolittle | November 24, 2015
The Arizona Physiological Society held their 8th annual conference Nov 13-14 at Midwestern University in Glendale. This was a great meeting for comparative physiologists!
Here are some comparative physiology highlights from the meeting:
The 2015 Keynote Speaker was Dr. Andrew Biewener (Harvard University) who spoke about "How do running animals acheive stability? The neuromechanical control of rapid locomotion." In his talk he focused on understanding how Guinea fowl avoid tripping when running really fast over uneven surfaces.
The 2015 Arizona Distinguished Lecture was given by Dr. Eldon…
dr. dolittle | November 18, 2015 Beagles (Hercules, left, and Tangou, right) genetically-modified to be more muscular. Image from Scientific American, Courtesy of Zou Qingjian and Lai Liangxue at the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Researchers in China are exploring the use of gene-editing technologies to create customized animals. Take for example research at the Shaanxi Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Shaanbei Cashmere Goats where animals have been genetically-modified to have longer hair (i.e. more wool) and more muscles (i.e. meat). This was…
dr. dolittle | November 17, 2015 Testing the bite force of American cockroaches. Image from: Tom Weihmann | University of Cambridge
I'll admit I get a bit squeamish when I see a cockroach. However, after reading new research about the "ew" inspiring creatures, I have a bit more respect for them.
Not only can these bugs run vertically up walls, survive nuclear war and live without their head for weeks (thus I suggest squishing the whole body), new research published in PLOS ONE shows they have super-biting powers. The research team measured bite force using a sensor (shown in the image above).
The reason for doing the…
dr. dolittle | November 11, 2015 "This diagram shows an interlinked system of animals that carry nutrients from ocean depths to deep inland — through their poop, urine, and, upon death, decomposing bodies. Here, the red arrows show the estimated amounts of phosphorus and other nutrients that were moved or diffused historically — and how much these flows have been reduced today. Grey animals represent extinct or reduced densities of animal populations." (Image and text: PNAS; design by Renate Helmiss & University of Vermont press release).
I just read a very interesting press release describing a new study conducted at…
dr. dolittle | November 10, 2015This is an exciting weekend for science!
This Friday and Saturday the 8th annual Arizona Physiological Society is hosting their annual conference in Glendale, Arizona. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Andrew Biewener (Harvard University) who will present “How Do Running Animals Achieve Stability? The Neuromechanical Control of Rapid Locomotion.” The Arizona Distinguished Lecturer will be Dr. Eldon Braun (University of Arizona) who will present “The Comparative Physiology of Osmoregulation: Lessons from Avian Studies.”
The second meeting of TetZooCon, otherwise known as the Tetrapod Zoology…
dr. dolittle | October 28, 2015With Halloween quickly approaching, I thought it would be fun to take some time to appreciate bats. Amazing animals!
dr. dolittle | October 27, 2015
A still shot from the 3D-IsoView microscope shows neural activity within a Drosophila larva detected with fluorescent indicators. Image courtesy of Keller Lab, HHMI/Janelia Research Campus
A new kind of three-dimensional technology, called IsoView, allows researchers to view biological processes within nontransparent animals that are rather large by microscopy standards such as the drosophila larva above and even the brains of larval zebrafish. According to the article in Nature Methods, the new type of microscope developed at the Janelia Research Campus (Ashburn, Virginia) gives high…
dr. dolittle | October 26, 2015 Image of Cricetomys gambianus from Wikipedia.
In a newly published study from Physiological Reports, researchers were interested in learning more about the basic physiology of African giant rats (Cricetomys gambianus). According to the study, heart rate is one of several "physiological constants" that offer a clue into how an animal might interact with its environment as heart rate may be influenced by season and patterns of food consumption among other variables. This particular species of rat is of interest as they are often kept as exotic pets while others have been trained to detect…
dr. dolittle | October 23, 2015The Tennessee Physiological Society held their annual conference on October 9th at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Here are highlights from the meeting:
Have you ever heard of "dry needling"? It is a treatment used by some physical therapists that is designed to help alleviate muscle pain by inserting small needles into trigger points. Researchers in Tennessee wanted to know if there were any risks for bacterial infections so they swabbed areas of the skin where dry needling typically takes place as well as the needles that were used. They found that at least one swab collected…
dr. dolittle | October 23, 2015 Image from Wikimedia Commons
Researchers from La Trobe University and Max Planck Institute for Ornithology recorded young crocodiles and found that while the animals typically sleep with both eyes closed, in the morning hours they will sometimes open one eye periodically. If they placed another crocodile in the tank or stood nearby however, the animal would open one eye and look at the newcomer.
It was noted in the article that certain birds and aquatic mammals will likewise sleep with one eye open, with only half their brain staying awake. This is known as unihemispheric sleep. This…
dr. dolittle | October 20, 2015 Image of Drosophila from Wikipedia.
A new study published in the American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology describes how Drosophila melanogaster develop similar heart complications as humans when they become obese. Rather than feeding them a high fat diet to induce obesity, researchers selected flies that were resistant to starvation over 65 generations. The so-called starvation resistant Drosophila had dilated hearts that had an impaired ability to contract. Interestingly, the problem was caused by fat deposits literally shifting the position of…
dr. dolittle | October 17, 2015Check out this new YouTube video describing a new study aimed at discovering how elephants resist developing cancer:
dr. dolittle | October 13, 2015This is a great month for Physiology! Several of the local chapters of the American Physiological Society (APS) are having their annual meetings.
The Nebraska Physiological Society met this past weekend at the University of South Dakota, Sanford School of Medicine. Here are the highlights from their meeting:
Dr. Bill Yates, Professor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine gave the APS sponsored keynote address on “Multisensory Control of Blood Pressure.” His research is focused on understanding the link between our vestibular system and blood pressure. The vestibular system in…
dr. dolittle | September 30, 2015Check out this neat video from National Geographic's emerging explorer, David Gruber (a marine biologist at the City University of New York) in which he discusses coming across what he claims is the first observation of biofluorescence in a sea turtle:
Video source:
YouTube
dr. dolittle | September 29, 2015 "Branta canadensis 4014" by Dori - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 us via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Branta_canadensis_4014.jpg#/med…
A study published earlier this month examined how Canada geese (Branta canadensis), long-distance migratory birds, regulate their blood sugar levels during prolonged fasting. Dr. Jean-Michel Weber and Eric Vaillancourt (University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) were interested in understanding whether the pancreatic hormone glucagon could alter blood sugar in the birds. In mammals, glucagon maintains glucose homeostasis…
dr. dolittle | September 21, 2015 By Taken by fir0002 | flagstaffotos.com.au Canon 20D + Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L (Own work) [GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
Researchers at the University of Vienna are studying vocalizations from giraffes. They captured recordings of the animals "humming" during the night at local zoos. Zookeepers were surprised to learn the animals made such noises as they are not heard during the day. Researcher Dr. Angela Stöger remarked to the New Scientist, "I was fascinated, because these signals have a very interesting sound and have a complex…
dr. dolittle | September 17, 2015A female mouse that is. You may recall a post from several years ago when we talked about how rats seem to "laugh" when tickled. Back in April 2015 researchers at Duke University presented a video that showed male mice "singing" a tune after either smelling the urine of a female mouse or being in her presence. The sounds were recorded using a microphone designed to capture 35 to 125 kilohertz (kz), which is a much higher frequency than we can hear:
Recent research published in eLife shows that female mice will sing back if interested in the male pursuing her. You can listen to a clip of a…
dr. dolittle | September 16, 2015 Image of a corn earworm by Sarah from Statesboro GA, USA (Corn Earworm on corn ear) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
New research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that bats are important nocturnal predators of insects that would otherwise attack crops. In addition, bats help to protect crops from fungal infections brought on by pests and are important pollinators. According to the new research, the pest-control services provided by bats for corn crops alone is worth about 1 billion dollars on a global…
dr. dolittle | September 14, 2015Dr. Mark Mamula at Yale University has been working on developing a vaccine for cancer. Here is an interview featuring Dr. Mamula discussing how dogs are helping researchers test a vaccine that so far, has shown promise in fighting cancer growth.
Video Source:
NBC www.King5.com