Ever wondered how dishwasher soap works?
The only interesting science tidbit I found, outside of the Wiki, is that they have a high level of vasopressin in…
The only interesting science tidbit I found, outside of the Wiki, is that they have a high level of vasopressin in their brains relative to other rodents. Vasopressin is a hormone involved with two things, vasoconstriction (closing of blood vessels) and retention of water. Being a desert animal, the later makes sense.
https://plus.google.com/+ChadHaney/posts/jU33JNLtCjB
h/t mary Zeman
Originally shared by Winchell Chung
Long-eared Jerboa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-eared_jerboa
https://twitter.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1014084054898102272
Can you identify poison ivy?
Can you identify poison ivy?
Here’s some useful tips about poison ivy.
Check out #InOtherWords on Twitter
Check out #InOtherWords on Twitter
https://twitter.com/hashtag/InOtherWords?src=hash
Here’s mine:
#InOtherWords I use medical imaging (MRI/PET/SPECT) to non-invasively visualize response to therapy. For example, did the tumor shrink over time with therapy of an experimental drug. One key buzzword is translational, i.e., my research can translate to the clinic.
Also #MyFirstScience
https://twitter.com/hashtag/MyFirstScience?src=hash
I couldn’t think of a good Tweet for #MyFirstScience
Fight to the death?
Fight to the death?
Not likely. Some animals know when to walk away from a fight. There some interesting science in this article. Nematodes anyone?
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/fighting-animal-doesnt-always-mean-duel-death
These are hilarious. I’ve commented on some of these over on Twitter.
These are hilarious. I’ve commented on some of these over on Twitter.
Comment below if you have any funny comments or for real science questions.
ETA
There’s more here:
#BadStockPhotosOfMyJob
March Mammal Madness
March Mammal Madness
How many of you are filling out your bracket?
What dogs ‘see’ when they smell something
What dogs ‘see’ when they smell something
Recent research suggests that dogs have a mental image of what they are searching for when they use their nose for tracking.
In the experiment, the dogs toy was used to make a scent trail to the hidden toy. The dog isn’t present during the setup of the experiment. In one group, the toy that made the scent was at the end of the trail. In a second group, a different toy was hidden at the end of the trail. Early trials of experiment B resulted in “surprise” by the dog, suggesting they had a mental image of what they expected to find. After further trials of experiment B, the dogs were less surprised and actually continued to search for the proper toy.
The full article is here (behind paywall):
A ball is not a Kong: Odor representation and search behavior in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) of different education.
Bräuer, Juliane,Belger, Julia
Journal of Comparative Psychology, Mar 05 , 2018,
http://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fcom0000115
I’ve written about dog smell before:
Time for some smelly science
https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ChadHaney/posts/hA46K5pgdUX
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/03/what-dogs-see-when-they-smell-something
Floppy ears and domestication.
Floppy ears and domestication.
I had not heard of neural crest cells before. Check out this NPR piece from Skunk Bear to learn about neural crest cells’ role in domestication syndrome.
Here’s a couple of related posts.
DNA research of dog breeds
https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ChadHaney/posts/95STsYxBfL8
Taimyr wolf and the origins of dog
https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ChadHaney/posts/jZM3fxAhs6b
https://www.npr.org/2018/01/30/580806947/why-dogs-have-floppy-ears-an-animated-tale
Prof. Teresa Woodruff does hard-lifting.
Prof. Teresa Woodruff does hard-lifting.
The Nerdette podcast interviewed Prof. Teresa Woodruff to discuss her research and influence on reproductive health. She really does some amazing work. From oncofertility (research at the intersection of cancer and fertility) to pushing for clinical trials and drug research that includes females, she’s a true pioneer and powerhouse.
On 25 January 2016, the NIH mandated that females must be considered in NIH funded research. The podcast discussed Prof. Woodruff’s role in this historical change.
Since I’m an engineer, I was a little disappointed that they didn’t mention her work with 3D printing. She’s worked on the invention of 3D printed ovaries and 3D printed components to make “menstrual cycle in a dish”. One of her collaborators, Prof. Ramille Shah, is an amazing scientist as well, who happens to also be female. She figured out how to use gelatin and other “ingredients” to feed into 3D printers to create scaffolds that are biologically compatible.
3D printed ovaries
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2017/may/3-d-printed-ovaries-offspring/
Female menstrual cycle in a dish
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2017/march/female-menstrual-cycle-reproductive-system/
If you liked the School House Rock approach to reproductive health education, there’s more here:
Reprotopia: Reproductive Health Education for All
https://reprotopia.northwestern.edu/projects/new-you-thats-who
You might be wondering about the title of this post, “hard-lifting”. As this podcast hit my PocketCast queue, my friend Buddhini Samarasinghe posted (on that other social network) about a bro-tastic comment to stemwomen.net that she moderates. “James Clerk Maxwell” left a bro-tastic comment about how men do the hard-lifting and women nurture. (https://goo.gl/wdyu57) I’m guessing it’s a fake account referencing the famous physicist/mathematician. I thought it was great that a true hard-lifting scientist, who happens to be female, popped up in PocketCast at the same time. It’s also cool to hear people I know on the radio.