dr. dolittle
Posts by this author
April 18, 2012
Congratulations to Patricia Villalta, a graduate student at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, our final winner of the "What's New in Comparative Physiology?" t-shirt contest! Here are her reasons for being excited about going to this year's Experimental Biology meeting:
"Dear Dr…
April 17, 2012
Don't forget to show your pride in comparative physiology at this year's EB. If you get caught wearing something that says "comparative physiology", "Dr. Dolittle", or "Life Lines," by one of the APS staffers or members of The American Physiological Society's Communications Committee, you just may…
April 13, 2012
As fun as it was to think about developing wings to fly like a bird, physics always wins. In case you haven't yet figured it out, the prior video was of course a fake, albeit a really entertaining fake.
That being said, here is the first ornithopter able to sustain flight. The aircraft was…
April 11, 2012
Most birds fly. To aid flight, avian bones are hollow, reducing their mass. In addition, bird wings and feathers are optimally designed for flight.
So why can't large birds or mammals fly? One of the problems is that they are too heavy to lift off the ground, necessitating unrealistically large…
April 6, 2012
Image source: Richard Drew /AP, MSNBC
I was just reading an article from The New York Times about advances in veterinary care and the ability to diagnose as well as treat many conditions that were once considered causes for euthanasia. These included leukemia (treated with bone marrow transplants…
April 3, 2012
Image Source: Kate Wong, Scientific American
Until now, I had heard of giving a dog a bone, but never a giraffe. They reportedly chew on bones as a source of minerals. This is also true for another herbivore, the desert tortoise. Who knew?
Source:
Esque, T.C., and E.L. Peters. 1994. Ingestion of…
March 28, 2012
"The Peeps Show"
For the last several years the Washington Post has sponsored a Peeps Diorama Contest. It's an opportunity for people to express their creativity using those yellow (or pink) marshmallow candy bunnies and birds that fill grocery store shelves in the weeks leading up to the spring (…
March 26, 2012
Image Source: msnbc
A new species of tiny scorpions, Wernerius inyoensis, has been discovered in Death Valley National Park by PhD student Matthew Graham from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. At 16mm long, the tiny creature is about the length of a thumbnail. He was able to spot the tiny…
March 23, 2012
New research shows how mussels find the perfect match. For mussels, fertilization occurs between eggs and sperm that have been released into the water. Up until now, it seemed the pairings were random limiting the ability to choose mates and diminishing the chance for successful fertilization due…
March 20, 2012
New research conducted by Dr. Gary Beauchamp from the Monell Chemical Sciences Center in Philadelphia has shown that seven of twelve species of carnivorous mammals tested lack taste receptors for sweets. According to the article, Dr. Beachamp and his colleagues identified mutations in the mammalian…
March 20, 2012
Thanks to everyone who sent in their feedback about last week's post on Top Reasons for Loving Comparative Physiology. It inspired another reader to send along this humorous photo entitled, "Lining Up to Hear A Talk About Comparative Physiology," alleged to have been taken at last year's EB…
March 19, 2012
Image Source: UA News, Brian Curry, Rutgers.
It is easy to get lost in a crowd, especially in an area as densely packed as New York. Scientists from UCLA, Rutgers University, UC Davis and The University of Alabama have discovered a new species of frog in just that region! The frogs were found in…
March 15, 2012
Thanks to all those who have been sending their ideas about why they like comparative physiology. Two non-science students sent me a list this week with the reasons they think comparative physiology is interesting. Do they deserve a Dolittle t-shirt? At least for "originality"?
Animals and their…
March 13, 2012
Image Source: The Scientist, Robert Lamberts NZPFR.
Dr. Stephen Chambers from the University of Otago, New Zealand successfully isolated volatile chemicals produced by cultured tuberculosis bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis). Testing the breath of infected humans, he was also able to identify…
March 12, 2012
Image Credit: California Academy of Sciences
At just over 1 foot long, this newly discovered species of shark (Bythaelurus giddingsi) is not likely to be featured in a remake of "Jaws". The sharks were seen at depths over 1000 feet off the coast of the Galapagos Islands and belong to the catshark…
March 8, 2012
Image source: Burlington Equine Veterinary Services, LLC.
Talk about comparative physiology! Some older horses develop a condition called equine heaves, which is similar to asthma in humans. Horses that live in more humid environments that promote mold growth are more prone to the disorder than…
March 7, 2012
If you have not yet had a chance to see this viral video from CBS News of dolphins swimming en masse, here it is! I have seen large pods of dolphins gather around the fishing vessel when deep sea fishing, presumably hoping for a reject from one of the fisherman. I have also seen them following…
March 5, 2012
Image: Proceedings of the Royal Society B
Dr. Biju and colleagues at the University of Delhi have discovered a new family of limbless caecilian amphibians (Gymnophiona) in northern India. Although these soil-dwelling animals look an awful lot like earthworms, genetic testing and comparative…
February 29, 2012
I am getting very excited about the upcoming Experimental Biology conference especially since this year marks the 125th anniversary of The American Physiological Society for which there are many planned celebrations. Not to mention, the programming for comparative physiology at this year's meeting…
February 28, 2012
As it turns out, researchers have discovered that fruit flies will actually drink alcohol created from rotting fruits to kill off parasitic wasp larvae.
Source:
YouTube Video: Emory University
Milan NF, Kacsoh BZ, Schlenke TA. Alcohol Consumption as Self-Medication against Blood-Borne Parasites…
February 23, 2012
Image Source: PLoS One
A new tiny species of chameleon (Brookesia micra) was recently discovered in Madagascar. The scientists who discovered the animal speculate that it is likely at the lower limit of size for a vertebrate with complex eyes. Shown in the image above is a juvenile.
At a little…
February 21, 2012
Russian scientists succeeded in growing a plant from 30,000 year-old (late Pleistocene) fruit tissue! The fruit tissue was found in an ancient squirrel's burrow frozen in the permafrost. You are probably thinking, what in the world does this have to do with animals or physiology? I'll tell you.…
February 21, 2012
Image Source: Newsweek (DLILLC-Corbis)
I just came across this neat synopsis from Newsweek about obesity in cats and dogs that is based on information from the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. I was really surprised to learn that 54% of pet cats and dogs are considered overweight or obese.…
February 16, 2012
A new study supports the hypothesis that noises from maritime traffic actually do induce stress in whales. For a time after the attack of the Twin Towers in New York City, fewer ships traveled in the area and researchers noticed that the stress levels of whales dropped dramatically. In an article…
February 14, 2012
As many people know, snakes do not need to eat very often. What I just learned from a recent article in Science magazine is that for Burmese pythons, many organs actually increase in mass after eating a large meal and blood levels of fatty acids are substantially elevated. Riquelme et al, were…
February 10, 2012
Image: Wikimedia Commons
The most recent issue of The Journal of Experimental Biology provides insight into why zebras have evolved stripes. Using a horse model, researchers have shown that horseflies find zebra stripes less attractive than homogeneous colors. It turns out that horseflies are…
February 8, 2012
The image above shows a mummified ibis from ancient Egypt that was packed with snails after death. Other mummified ibises were found packed full of grains or small fish. These findings are the first evidence that the ancient Egyptians provided these birds with food for the afterlife. To read more…
February 7, 2012
Check out this new species of shrimp-like amphipods that was discovered in an ocean trench off the coast of New Zealand! The biggest one found was 11 inches long. Yum...
Image: National Geographic
While reading this article, I could not resist the enticing advertisement for an even larger shrimp-…
February 4, 2012
At Texas A&M University, researchers are testing a new treatment for bone cancer (osteosarcoma) in dogs that may one day help to treat similar cases of osteosarcoma in children. The new technique involves injecting radioisotopes directly in the tumor by drilling tiny holes into the bone with a…
February 1, 2012
Fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) are actually used frequently in genetics research. They are a popular model organism because they reproduce very quickly and, since their genome is known, researchers can quickly study the effects of manipulating gene sequences (among other reasons).…