Certain ants attack and enslave other species, and integrate their offspring into their own colonies in order to survive. Researchers at the Senckenberg Nature Research Society and the Johannes-Gutenberg University Mainz have recently discovered that the raids required to achieve this are controlled by different genes in each of several closely related ant species of...
Mapping the genome jungle: Unique animal traits could offer insight into human disease
From a bat's wings to an elephant's cancer resistance, an interdisciplinary team of scientists at University of Utah Health are using animals' unique traits to pinpoint regions of the human genome that might affect health. The results of this project are available in the March 6 issue of the journal Cell Reports.
The research team is...
Mosquito brain atlas aims to reveal neural circuitry of behavior
A mosquito's head is about the size of a pencil tip, but it packs a dangerous punch: it is the delivery system for malaria, yellow fever, and Zika, among other blood-borne diseases. In most mosquito species, females are the more dangerous sex. They're the ones drinking -- and transferring -- blood.
Now, for the first time,...
How cats and dogs are consuming and processing parabens
Many households can claim at least one four-legged friend as part of the family. But pets that primarily stay indoors can have increased rates of diseases, such as diabetes, kidney diseases and hypothyroidism compared with those that stay exclusively outside. Some scientists propose that chemical substances in the home could contribute to these illnesses. One...
Who's a good boy? Why 'dog-speak' is important for bonding with your pet
Scientists at the University of York have shown that the way we speak to our canine friends is important in relationship-building between pet and owner, similar to the way that 'baby-talk' is to bonding between a baby and an adult.
Speech interaction experiments between adult dogs and humans showed that so called "dog-speak" improves attention and...
Ancient reptile Captorhinus could detach its tail to escape predator's grasp
Imagine that you're a voracious carnivore who sinks its teeth into the tail of a small reptile and anticipates a delicious lunch, when, in a flash, the reptile is gone and you are left holding a wiggling tail between your jaws.
A new study by the University of Toronto Mississauga research team led by Professor Robert...