animals health

Polarized light pollution leads animals astray

harminka — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:03:07 -0600

Human-made light sources can alter natural light cycles, causing animals that rely on light cues to make mistakes when moving through their environment.

How DNA detective work explains extinction of Christmas Island's native rats

harminka — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:20:57 -0600

It took less than a decade for native rats to become extinct on the Indian Ocean's previously uninhabited Christmas Island once Eurasian black rats jumped ship onto the island at the turn of the 20th century.

Pregnant mice block out unwelcome admirers to protect their pups

harminka — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:41:10 -0500

Mouse mothers-to-be have a remarkable way to protect their unborn pups. Because the smell of a strange male's urine can cause miscarriage and reactivate the ovulatory cycle, pregnant mice prevent the action of such olfactory stimuli by blocking their smell.

Vaccine for koala chlamydia close

harminka — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:48:01 -0500

Professors Peter Timms and Ken Beagley from Queensland University of Technology's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI) said the vaccinated koalas, which are at Brisbane's Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, were mounting a good response to the vaccine.

Special horseshoes measure acceleration in horses

harminka — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:26:00 -0500

The most frequent injuries that horses suffer are derived from pressure exerted by riders, and knowing which forces are involved when horses move can prove highly informative when considering treatment for such injuries.

National Zoo giant panda pregnancy update

harminka — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:29:42 -0500

Scientists at the Smithsonian's National Zoo detected a secondary rise in urinary progestin levels in the Zoo's female giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) earlier this month. The results from the test on Thursday, June 19 lead scientists to believe the hormone rise indicates that it would be mid- to late-July before Mei Xiang either gives birth to a cub or comes to the end of a pseudopregnancy, or false pregnancy, which is common in giant pandas.

DNA study unlocks mystery to diverse traits in dogs

harminka — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:38:16 -0500

What makes a pointer point, a sheep dog herd, and a retriever retrieve? Why do Yorkshire terriers live longer than Great Danes? And how can a tiny Chihuahua possibly be related to a Great Dane?

Pigs raised without antibiotics more likely to carry bacteria, parasites

harminka — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 06:27:16 -0500

While consumers are increasing demand for pork produced without antibiotics, more of the pigs raised in such conditions carry bacteria and parasites associated with food-borne illnesses, according to a new study.

How can we measure emotional states of animals?

harminka — Wed, 21 May 2008 11:04:48 -0500

Rats housed in standard conditions show a stronger response to the loss of an expected food reward than those housed in enriched conditions, perhaps indicating a more negative emotional state, according to new research by scientists at Bristol University Veterinary School, published in this week's issue of Royal Society Biology Letters.

Wildcat Power Cord repairs cruciate ligament in dairy cow's knee

harminka — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 02:58:46 -0500

An 8-year-old Jersey dairy cow is back at her Kansas farm thanks to a decade of research and an experimental surgery performed at Kansas State University's Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.

Study Compares Antibiotic Resistance in Wild American Bison and Farm Cattle

harminka — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 07:46:29 -0500

The first ever study of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in free-living American bison finds resistance rates, while relatively low, are still higher than expected. The researchers from Kansas State University report their findings in the March 2008 issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

Sewer-gas-induced suspended animation is rapid and reversible

harminka — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:29:45 -0500

Low doses of the toxic gas responsible for the unpleasant odor of rotten eggs can safely and reversibly depress both metabolism and aspects of cardiovascular function in mice, producing a suspended-animation-like state.