A study from the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) offers new insight on how the gut bacteria of dogs interact with a healthy vs. unhealthy GI tract, which could contribute to the development of new…
Tag: PETS/ETHOLOGY
Horses blink less, twitch eyelids more when stressed
How can you tell when a horse is feeling stressed? It’s all in the eyes and the way their eyelids twitch, University of Guelph researchers have discovered. A horse will blink less and twitch its eyelids more when it’s under…
Your dog might be hiding its true colors
Research shows that some breeds of dogs have hidden coat colors and other traits
Stingless bee species depend on a complex fungal community to survive
A report published in PLOS ONE describes key roles of various microorganisms in the development of the larvae of Scaptotrigona depilis. Researchers warn that this symbiotic relationship is threatened by the indiscriminate use of pesticides.
Human medicines affect fish behavior
Human medicines that act on important signal systems in the brain make fish bolder, shows a new study on three-spined sticklebacks by researchers at Linköping University. The results reinforce that the signal substances serotonin and dopamine play important roles in…
Animal Study Registry could improve data quality and reduce wasted lives
The irreproducibility of preclinical data is impeding scientific progress and the development of effective new medical therapies. The Animal Study Registry was launched in January 2019 as a response to the reproducibility crisis and the scientific community’s quest for greater…
Last year’s extreme snowfall wiped out breeding of Arctic animals and plants
Climate change affects ecosystems not only through warming, but also by delivering more extreme weather events
Startled fish escape using several distinct neuronal circuits
A fast knee-jerk “ballistic” escape response and a more considered “delayed” escape response are mediated by distinct and parallel neuronal pathways in zebrafish, according to a study published October 15 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Harold Burgess of…
The lunar cycle drives the nightjar’s migration
GPS tracking data reveals that the foraging activity of the European nightjar more than doubles during moon-lit nights, and the birds then migrate simultaneously about 10 days after the full moon, according to a study published October 15 in the…
Morris Animal Foundation awards more than $1 million for small animal studies
DENVER/Oct. 8, 2019 – Morris Animal Foundation, a leader in advancing animal health, is awarding more than $1 million in grants for 16 canine and feline research projects. The studies will help veterinary scientists improve the health and quality of…
Imprinting on mothers may drive new species formation in poison dart frogs
What do marrying one’s parents, Oedipus complex have to do with evolution?
Monkeys like alcohol at low concentrations, but probably not due to the calories
Fruit-eating monkeys show a preference for concentrations of alcohol found in fermenting fruit, but do not seem to use alcohol as a source of supplementary calories, according to a study by researchers from Linköping University, Sweden, and the Universidad Veracruzana,…
Discovery of sorghum gene that controls bird feeding could help protect crops
A single gene in sorghum controls bird feeding behavior by simultaneously regulating the production of bad-tasting molecules and attractive volatiles, according to a study publishing September 23 in the journal Molecular Plant . This gene, called Tannin1, controls the synthesis…
Cats are securely bonded to their people, too
Cats have a reputation for being aloof and independent. But a study of the way domestic cats respond to their caregivers suggests that their socio-cognitive abilities and the depth of their human attachments have been underestimated. The findings reported in…
Early detection is key: Screening test could improve lives of cats with heart disease
DENVER/September 12, 2019 – A new, two-minute screening technique could help save cats from dying prematurely of heart disease. Morris Animal Foundation -funded researchers at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University recently developed a focused cardiac ultrasound…
Female gorillas detect and avoid sick groups
Gorillas are social animals, living in groups that females will migrate to join, becoming members of harems. Though some factors motivating these migrations were previously known, a research team affiliated with the CNRS and Université de Rennes 1 has just…
How humans have shaped dogs’ brains
Findings suggest that selective breeding has altered brain anatomy in dogs
Parasitic worms infect dogs, humans
Infective nematodes found in canines in remote Australia