Detecting transmissibility of avian influenza virus in human households
Recent outbreaks of emerging diseases such as SARS and H5N1 avian influenza have underlined the fact that animal pathogens may acquire the ability to spread efficiently in humans - but as yet have not. view more (2007-07-26)
Unravelling a genetic mystery
Research by a University of Nottingham expert has shed new light on a genetic mystery that has its origins millions of years ago. view more (2005-03-02)
Tachographs for diving animals
Seals, sea lions and penguins have two things in common with whales and dolphins: They are all ocean swimmers and evoke human sympathy - not only from children. Especially when whales become stranded or seals fall victim to an epidemic, some of us ask: How did this happen? Could this be prevented in future? The job of answering such questions lies... view more... (2002-12-20)
The salt of life and genes
Mineral salts are essential for living organisms. To be precise, it is from these, living cells get their basic components, the ions. Common salt, for example, contains chloride and sodium ions which the cell uses to establish and maintain electrochemical balance with the environment. In order to achieve sodium equilibrium in animal cells, for... view more... (2003-04-16)
Taking animals out of laboratory research
Pioneering work to reduce the use of animals in scientific research - and ultimately remove them from laboratories altogether - has received a major boost at The University of Nottingham. view more (2007-06-25)
Satellites can help Arctic grazers survive killer winter storms
Rain falling on snow sounds like a relatively harmless weather event, but when it happens in the far north it can mean lingering death for reindeer, musk oxen and other animals that normally graze on the Arctic tundra. view more (2008-03-19)
Vive the vole!
The gathering of data for research involving an animal usually involves invasive procedures or death for the experimental animals. But critical data may now be collected through a nonlethal procedure, according to a new paper for the forthcoming issue of Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. view more (2008-04-01)
Climate change does double-whammy to animals in seasonal environments
Plant-eating animals in highly seasonal environments, such as the Arctic, are struggling to locate nutritious food as a result of climate change. view more (2008-05-22)
Surprising gene discovery
Researchers at the University of Bergen are now able to present new information on the HOX genes - the "software" to design animals. The findings are published in today's issue of Nature. view more (2004-09-10)
Maritime Fishery In Chukotka
Research by scientists from Kirov and Anadyr have found that the population of Chukotka revert to traditional ways of procuring food. Since the late 1990s, people have started to catch maritime animals more actively and go fishing, mushroom and berry-picking. For two or three thousand years, maritime animals have been traditionally the primary... view more... (2003-09-05)
Why do polar foxes disappear?
The polar foxes inhabit the Commandor Islands. Due to isolation, the polar foxes of each island differ from the ones inhabiting the mainland and even from the neighbors populating other islands of the archipelago. As a matter of fact, each island is populated by an individual polar fox subspecies. Isolated populations have always been of interest... view more... (2002-10-11)
Deep-sea Ecosystem Engineers
Tube worms living at deep-sea oil seeps in the Gulf of Mexico significantly alter their habitat, similar to beavers altering the flow of a river. Researchers from Pennsylvania State University have just published an important finding in the journal Ecology Letters. A computer model of tube worm aggregations was created for Lamellibrachia luymesi,... view more... (2003-03-12)
Addiction treatment proves successful in animal weight loss study
Vigabatrin, a medication proposed as a potential treatment for drug addiction by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, also leads to rapid weight loss and reduced food intake according to a new animal study from the same research group. view more (2008-08-21)
Animal athletics: the benefits of being short
Could your dog win an Olympic race? Scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, USA, have been comparing limb shape with athletic performance in a range of animals to determine who makes the best athlete. At the Society for Experimental Biology meeting on Tuesday 3 April, Dr Terrie Williams of the University of California will present... view more... (2001-04-03)
Animal model shows early promise for SARS vaccine (p 1895)
Embargoed 0001 h (London time) 5 December 2003. US authors of a research letter in this week's issue of THE LANCET highlight preliminary findings which could mark an important step in the development of a human vaccine for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). A genetically engineered vaccine was found to be effective in triggering an immune... view more... (2003-12-03)
Changes in urine could lead to BSE test for live animals
Researchers have demonstrated that protein levels in urine samples can indicate both the presence and progress of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) disease in cattle. view more (2008-09-08)
ETH Researchers Decipher Learning Processes in Mice
Protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) belongs to a group of molecules that on the basis of earlier studies has been proposed to be a controlling factor for learning and memory. The ETH researchers produced genetically modified mice in which the activity of PP1 can be reduced at will. These animals were subjected to various learning and memory tests in one... view more... (2002-08-28)
New technology reveals seal behavior
New technology has allowed an international team including UK scientists from University of St Andrews and British Antarctic Survey to witness for the first time the behaviour of the southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) and how it relates to its physical environment. view more (2007-08-08)
Pollutant threat to oyster industry
A study published today reveals that a common industrial chemical causes sexual deformities in oysters, producing large numbers of hermaphrodite animals. The chemical, nonylphenol, is a breakdown product from a surfactant widely used in detergents, dispersing agents, herbicides, spermicides and cosmetics. Dr Helen Nice who undertook this study at... view more... (2003-07-14)
Dog Collars Could Prevent Parasitic Disease In Children
Children could be protected from a potentially lethal parasitic disease if dogs were fitted with insecticide-impregnated collars, suggest authors of a study in THE LANCET this week. Zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis is caused by transmission of a parasite, Leishmania infantum, from animals (mostly domestic dogs) by blood-sucking sandflies. In... view more... (2002-07-31)
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