Animal Research

Polar Scientists Discuss Polar Bear's Fate - NYTimes.com

2010-12-20T07:44:00.000-08:00

"In my piece weighing the merits of very different strategies for giving ice-dependent polar bears a chance in a warming world, I promised I’d post the views of some of the biologists, sea-ice researchers and climate scientists who’ve been tracking relevant questions

DNRE Asks for Reports of Radio-Collared or Tagged Wildlife in the Upper Peninsula

2010-12-19T11:33:00.000-08:00

Michigan: 9/15/2010

DNRE - DNRE Asks for Reports of Radio-Collared or Tagged Wildlife in the Upper Peninsula: "Upper Peninsula hunters, trappers, residents and visitors are asked to report any harvest or observations of ear-tagged or radio-collared wildlife to assist in an ongoing wildlife research study, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment announced today."

Drug-Resistant Genes Spread among Bacteria

2010-12-16T13:08:00.000-08:00

In the fight to stay alive, many bacteria, such as MRSA, have developed resistance to commonly used antibiotics...Others have another method..

Read more: Drug-Resistant Genes Spread among Bacteria

Metals May Cause Improper "Flight-Fright" Reactions to Stresses Including Hypoxia~!

2010-12-15T04:02:00.000-08:00

Heavy metals have been shown to inhibit the binding of Sp1. This study shows that "knock down of Egr-1 or Sp1 prevents promoter activation while siRNA knock down of HIF1α inhibits Egr-1 and Sp1 induction. Findings suggest that hypoxia activates the PNMT gene indirectly via HIF1α stimulation of Egr-1 and Sp1. Thus, for stress-induced illnesses where adrenergic dysfunction is implicated, HIF1α may be an "on-off" switch regulating adrenergic responses to stress and a potential target for therapeutic intervention."

Wong, D. L. L. et al. Stress and Adrenergic Function: HIF1α, a Potential Regulatory Switch. Cellular and molecular neurobiology 1-7 (2010). URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10571-010-9567-z.

Prolactin promotes oxytocin and vasopressin release by activating neuronal nitric oxide synthase

2010-12-10T05:45:00.000-08:00

"Prolactin enhances nNOS activity in the PVN and SON, thereby contributing to the regulation of OXT and AVP release. This mechanism likely contributes to the regulation of processes beyond those of female reproduction."

Vega, C. et al. Prolactin promotes oxytocin and vasopressin release by activating neuronal nitric oxide synthase in the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei. American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology 299 (2010). URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00575.2010.

Sevoflurane Impairs Olfactory Memory.....

2010-12-10T05:30:00.000-08:00

Sevoflurane Impairs Olfactory Memory.....

Oxytocin and vasopressin in the medial amygdala differentially modulate approach and avoidance behavior toward illness-related social odor

2010-12-10T05:22:00.000-08:00

This study shows an essential role of OT and AVP receptors, especially type 1a, in the MeA in regulating approach/avoidance behaviors, respectively, in social odorant communication.

Arakawa, H., Arakawa, K. & Deak, T. Oxytocin and vasopressin in the medial amygdala differentially modulate approach and avoidance behavior toward illness-related social odor. Neuroscience 171, 1141-1151 (2010). URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2010.10.013. http://www.citeulike.org/user/HEIRS/article/7974328

Scientists to study animals' feelings

2010-12-08T10:59:00.000-08:00

Scientists to study animals' feelings: "Australian scientists have set themselves the challenge of understanding the minds of animals and what they are feeling."

Polluted Air Increases Obesity Risk In Young Animals

2010-12-08T10:58:00.000-08:00

Polluted Air Increases Obesity Risk In Young Animals: "Columbus, OH - Exposure to polluted air early in life led to an accumulation of abdominal fat and insulin resistance in mice even if they ate a normal diet, according to new research."

Biomechanical consequences of rapid evolution in the polar bear lineage.

2010-12-04T13:07:00.000-08:00

"continuation of current climate trends could affect polar bears by not only eliminating their primary food source, but also through competition with northward advancing, generalized brown populations for resources that they are ill-equipped to utilize"

Fawn, predator link being studied- DailyPress.net | News, Sports, Jobs, Escanaba Information | The Daily Press

2010-12-01T13:59:00.000-08:00

"If just the name of the study - 'Role of Predators, Winter Weather and Habitat on White-Tailed Deer Fawn Survival' - seems like a mouthful, can you image how complex the study is?"

Read more: Fawn, predator link being - DailyPress.net News, Sports, Jobs, Escanaba Information The Daily Press:

Seasonal influences help guide cougar prey selection

2010-11-30T05:52:00.000-08:00

"As predators, cougars tend to select prey animals that are weaker and easier to attack during certain seasons, according to results of a new
study..."

Give $10 to the Bears from Minnesota and the NABC

2010-11-16T12:53:00.000-08:00

A $10 donation could turn into $20,000 if the North American Bear Center (NABC) secures 1st place! Please donate -- thanks!

NORTH AMERICAN BEAR CENTER

How Do Polar Bears Use Blubber? - Polar Bears International

2010-11-04T07:03:00.000-07:00

How Do Polar Bears Use Blubber? - Polar Bears International

Loggerhead Turtles Can Detect Airborne Odorants~!

2010-10-26T05:50:00.000-07:00

If sea turtles can smell odorants, then this has implications for toxic air pollution! Like from spills.....

"The Journal of Experimental Biology, Vol. 212 (2009), pp. 3823-3827."

CiteULike: Perception of airborne odors by loggerhead sea turtles:

CiteULike: Hair cortisol concentration as a noninvasive measure of long-term stress in free-ranging grizzly bears (Ursus arctos): considerations with implications for other wildlife

2010-10-21T19:36:00.000-07:00

CiteULike: Hair cortisol concentration as a noninvasive measure of long-term stress in free-ranging grizzly bears (Ursus arctos): considerations with implications for other wildlife: "Canadian Journal of Zoology, Vol. 88, No. 10. (2010), pp. 935-949."

MERCURY RISING:Bald eagles in region face new threat - DailyFreeman.com

2010-10-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

"AFTER BEING pushed by humans to the brink of extinction and then re-establishing habitats in the Hudson River Valley and Catskill Mountains, bald eagles are again facing a manmade threat to their existence"

Read more: MERCURY RISING:Bald eagles in region face new threat - DailyFreeman.com:

Minnesota DNR told to put a stop to trapping Canada lynx | StarTribune.com

2010-10-16T09:27:00.000-07:00

Minnesota DNR told to put a stop to trapping Canada lynx StarTribune.com: "Trapping and snaring in the 'core' habitat of the Canada lynx in Minnesota violated the Endangered Species Act, a federal judge said in a ruling published Monday."

Olfaction Plasticity and Neuropeptides

2010-10-15T18:59:00.000-07:00

New study shows that a pheromone neprilysin is important for olfactory plasticity in worms and reflects behaviors of attraction and dispersal. While this may be species specific, one might ponder if the mechanims are similar in higher organisms. In any event, this class of neuropeptides have influence on a variety of physiological processes.

Cohen writes "NEP expression is modulated by various factors, including interferon, interleukin (IL)-1, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), IL-4and glucocorticoids. Tobacco smoke has been reported toinactivate NEP in vitro and in an animal model, but studies inhumans have not demonstrated a clear difference in NEP activitybetween smokers and nonsmokers. Genetic variationin NEP could account for some of the wide variation observed inhumans. Mice homozygous for NEP null mutations are surprisinglynormal but do exhibit decreased blood pressure, increased microvascularpermeability, and increased susceptibility to endotoxin shock. The hypothesis that genetic variation in NEP expressionmay cause differences in susceptibility to disorders such as bronchopulmonarydysplasia, lung cancer, asthma, and sepsis, in which neuropeptideshave been implicated, remains untested butattractive."

American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, Vol. 21, No. 1. (1999) http://www.citeulike.org/user/HEIRS/article/8027099

Science, Vol. 329, No. 5999. (24 September 2010), pp. 1647-1650. http://www.citeulike.org/user/HEIRS/article/8025793

Why Animals Turn White~!

2010-10-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

It could suggest and I would propose it is worth investigating further the relationship between reverance for the white buffalo (and other non-albino animals) in Native American religion, known historical recorded patterns of disease characteristic of Nrf2 impairment such as myopathies, Parkinson's disease and neurodegenerative conditions that demonstrate "inheritablity" and settlements of indigenous and native peoples that harvested metals deposits.

Olfactory Plasticity Is Regulated by Pheromonal Signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans

2010-10-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

"Olfactory Plasticity Is Regulated by Pheromonal Signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans"

Read more: CiteULike: Olfactory Plasticity Is Regulated by Pheromonal Signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans:

From DMSP munching microbes to global climate -Animal Attractant?

2010-10-15T07:05:00.000-07:00

The researchers found that some marine microbes, including bacteria, are attracted to DMSP because they feed on it, whereas others are drawn to the chemical because it signals the presence of prey. This challenges previous theories that this chemical might be a deterrent against predators."

From DMSP munching microbes to global climate Watts Up With That?: "

Disruption of muscle membrane and phenotype divergence in two novel mouse models of dysferlin deficiency — Hum Mol Genet

2010-10-09T19:08:00.000-07:00

Disruption of muscle membrane and phenotype divergence in two novel mouse models of dysferlin deficiency — Hum Mol Genet: "loss of sarcolemmal integrity in both lines of mice, similar to that seen in mdx and caveolin-3 deficient mice"

Maine Lynx Case: “Capture Myopathy” Can Kill A Lynx? : Black Bear Blog

2010-10-09T18:14:00.000-07:00

Maine Lynx Case: “Capture Myopathy” Can Kill A Lynx? : Black Bear Blog: "I am only in the beginning stages of examining the court ruling in Animal Welfare Institute v. Roland D. Martin, in which the AWI and others sued for a permanent injunction to stop trapping because “incidental” takings of Canada lynx by trappers of coyote and other species, are harming the lynx population."

An Omega-3 Fatty Acid-Enriched Diet Prevents Skele... [Am J Pathol. 2010] - PubMed result

2010-10-09T18:10:00.000-07:00

An Omega-3 Fatty Acid-Enriched Diet Prevents Skele... [Am J Pathol. 2010] - PubMed result: "An Omega-3 Fatty Acid-Enriched Diet Prevents Skeletal Muscle Lesions in a Hamster Model of Dystrophy."