Life Lines by Dr. Dolittle

Diet and Exercise

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Best Friend or Stress Test? What Pets Do to Our Bodies

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 68% of households in the United States have a pet. Pets are thought to help people by decreasing stress and improving cardiovascular health. The NIH and Mar’s Corporation WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition have teamed up to support research examining such questions, but the results have been mixed. According to Dr. Layla Esposito, who leads the NIH Human-Animal Interaction Research Program, people […]

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When fasting bites back: The bile dilemma in tiger sharks

Happy Shark Week!! In this post, we take a look at how fasting may harm young tiger sharks. Sharks LOVE to eat fish, which are packed with protein and fats. In fact, fat is a major energy source for sharks and high levels of circulating fats are associated with better body conditions in tiger sharks. To handle their diet, sharks need healthy livers and gallbladders to produce and release bile, […]

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Muscle adaptations to endurance exercise

Happy Pigeon Appreciation Day! Okay, I know it sounds strange to celebrate pigeons – the animal best known for gathering in large numbers, causing a raucous, as well as perching and pooping on just about everything. For just a moment though, I would like to consider the unique athletic attributes of these popcorn and park loving birds vs humans engaged in endurance exercise. Have you ever heard of pigeon racing […]

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Time Machine: Keeping it hot…or not

In todays’ Time Machine, we are taking a look back at a paper written by Dr. Henry Gray Barbour during his time in the Department of Pharmacology at Yale University School of Medicine. Published in Physiological Reviews in 1921, his paper examined how body heat is regulated in various species. In this review, Dr. Barbour explains that water is the best medium for conducting heat throughout the body. This is […]

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“Hummingbirds of the Night”

A reference to nectar-feeding bats as “hummingbirds of the night” in a presentation at the 2025 American Physiology Summit in Baltimore last month caught my eye. What an appropriate nickname for bats that can have blood sugar levels exceeding 750 mg/dl after a meal! Sure, a hummingbird would think this was normal, but for a human these levels would warrant a trip to the emergency room. New research shared by […]

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The electrophysiology of sudden cardiac death in high-performance athletes

Humans and racehorses have something in common when it comes to risk of sudden cardiac death. In fact, sudden cardiac death is the 2nd most common cause of death during exercise among these athletes. Although rare, it typically affects young, seemingly healthy individuals. Research suggests that exercise itself is not to blame, but rather an underlying predisposition for irregular heart rates that exercise uncovers. The most common inherited causes of […]

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Even small birds fly high

Dr. Catherine Ivy (Assistant Professor, University of Saskatchewan, Canada), shared research this morning at the 2025 APS Summit on the remarkable hypoxia tolerance of birds. Although bar-headed geese (above) are the poster-birds for research on extreme hypoxia tolerance, I was surprised to learn that even many small migratory species of birds fly at relatively high altitude. Tiny migratory yellow-rumped warblers (~12g), for example, travel for about 6-8 hours at a […]

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Physiology on the road: Celebrating physiology in Indiana

I am excited to announce that the Indiana Physiological Society, a chapter of the American Physiological Society, is hosting their annual meeting tomorrow! The event will take place at the University of Southern Indiana. The keynote address will be given by Dr. Thad Wilson, renowned professor of physiology and educator at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. The conference also includes hands-on activities to improve teaching in physiology. It […]

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Understanding Giant Pandas’ Unique Bamboo Diet

Happy National Panda Day!! Today, we celebrate one of the most beloved animals around the world. Giant pandas, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, are native to China and are the only living member of the genus, Ailuropoda. Pandas are members of the carnivorous Ursidae bear family. However, they have evolved to eat a diet consisting of close to 99% bamboo. Their jaws, teeth, digestive system and even their paws with a “false thumb” […]

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Buzz-off! Nature’s hornet, wasp, bee and predator control

On this “Buzzards Day”, we celebrate the return of buzzards from winter migration and, although not native to the United States, we celebrate pest controlling honey buzzards as well. Turkey vultures, aka turkey buzzards, have a strange self-defense strategy. To ward off predators, they are capable of projectile vomiting their last meal up to 10 feet…gross…but effective. Do not startle these birds on their return flight from migration!! Check out […]

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