Despite its morphological simplicity, the sea squirt (Ciona intestinalis) shares most of its genes with vertebrates. Its embryonic development is fundamentally similar to that of vertebrates, but because the embryos are structurally simple, they are useful as models for developmental studies. Lab Anim. (NY) 40, 264 (2011). view full text (login required)
Author Archives: monicascicom
Blocking nicotine responses in the brain
Diseases related to tobacco use are prevalent throughout the world, resulting in more than 5 million deaths per year; in the US alone, annual tobacco-related mortality is ~400,000 and annual healthcare costs are estimated at $96 billion. Nicotine is the primary psychoactive component of tobacco, triggering behavioral responses such as reward and anxiety reduction. IdentifyingContinueContinue reading “Blocking nicotine responses in the brain”
What dogs can teach us about bones
Osteosarcoma occurs spontaneously in humans (usually children) and in dogs with a disease course and severity that are difficult to predict. Some patients respond well to conventional therapies, have a less aggressive form of disease and may survive for decades without recurrence, whereas others respond poorly to treatment or experience recurrence and may survive lessContinueContinue reading “What dogs can teach us about bones”
Steps toward a universal flu vaccine
Influenza A is a highly mutable virus that infects millions of people every year and can be fatal in severe cases. Human antibodies are effective against a few strains belonging to 2 of the 16 subtypes of influenza A, and new vaccines based on those antibodies are developed each year to match the evolved viruses,ContinueContinue reading “Steps toward a universal flu vaccine”
Imagining an end to animal research
Undercover footage from noncompliant animal studies has stemmed public support for research. Extremists demanding that nonhuman animals be given the same rights as humans have launched violent attacks on research personnel. Anti-research groups have seeded legislation limiting how many animals one person or entity can own and prohibiting their intra-state transport. And miles away, paramilitaryContinueContinue reading “Imagining an end to animal research”
Feel better faster with ketamine
Several small clinical trials have shown that low doses of ketamine, an anesthetic drug, can act rapidly as an antidepressant. The quickness of its action meant that ketamine, or compounds that share its mechanism of action, could be a much-needed alternative to current antidepressant therapies, many of which require several weeks to take effect. Fast-actingContinueContinue reading “Feel better faster with ketamine”
Thirty-seven strawberries a day?
The old adage “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” may have a new star: strawberries. Thirty-seven of them, actually. That’s how many a person might need to eat each day to reap the benefits of the fruit, as reported recently in PLoS One (6, e21226; 2011. The report discussed how fisetin, a compoundContinueContinue reading “Thirty-seven strawberries a day?”
Quantifying abnormal behavior in captive chimps
Captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) may engage in various abnormal behaviors, including rocking, self-mutilation and urophagy or coprophagy. Although these and other abnormalities have been documented in laboratories and zoological parks, few studies have attempted to quantify such behavior. Researchers Lucy P. Birkett and Nicholas E. Newton-Fisher at the University of Kent (Canterbury, UK) recently reportedContinueContinue reading “Quantifying abnormal behavior in captive chimps”
Saving a species bedeviled by cancer
The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), the world’s largest surviving carnivorous marsupial, is endangered by a fatal transmissible disease called devil facial tumor disease (DFTD). DFTD is a naturally occurring infectious cancer first observed on the east coast of Tasmania in 1996. This cancer is rapidly spreading across the island, the devil’s only native habitat. DFTDContinueContinue reading “Saving a species bedeviled by cancer”
How low can worms go?
Bacteria-eating worms dwell in treasure caves deep below the earth’s surface, where only single-celled organisms were thought to exist. Although it may sound like the premise of a sci-fi masterpiece, this scenario is the major finding of a recent report in Nature. The report describes the discovery of four species of nematodes, or roundworms, in theContinueContinue reading “How low can worms go?”
Fluent in Science 