In honor of St. Patrick’s Day today, I thought we’d talk about snakes today. Vertebrates defend themselves from infections with the help of the adaptive and innate immune systems. The first responder to an infection is typically the innate immune system, which is not specific to a particular pathogen. This system helps to prevent the infection from spreading and uses various toxins to kill pathogens. The adaptive immune response, on […]
Naked mole-rats have attracted the attention of scientists once again. Not only do they live very long lives (30+ years), while typically avoiding cancer, females remain fertile their whole life. Unlocking their secrets to avoiding menopause may lead to new ways to treat infertility. New research has identified their tricks for lifelong fertility. It turns out that female naked mole-rats have 1.5 million egg cells (oocytes) when they are born, […]
…at least for mole-rats. African mole-rats live in dark underground dwellings where oxygen and food are scarce, and humidity and temperatures are high. These animals have low metabolic rates and body temperatures uniquely adapted to their life underground. Metabolism is controlled in part by thyroid hormones. To understand the role of thyroid hormone in mole-rats, researchers examined the thyroid gland and hormones in naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber) as well as […]
Human thermoregulation in a warm environment Thermoregulation is the ability for an organism to control body temperature within a specified physiological range even when environmental temperatures vary. A recent article published in Physiological Reviews explored thermoregulation in humans and how various factors such as age, body shape, adaptation, and biological sex impact a person’s ability to maintain body temperature. They also explored how various diseases such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, […]
Scientists have come up with a truly unique tool to try to detect cancer – ants. Yes, ants. Ants are known for their strong sense of smell, which helps them locate food pretty well. Interestingly, some forms of cancer can alter the smell of urine and ants may be able to detect those changes. Their findings on the potential use of ants as “bio-detectors” of cancer were published in the […]
I read an interesting review article explaining how cells evolved the ability to kill off pathogens and, in turn, how pathogens evade death. It is kind of like a perpetual game of ‘cat and mouse’ in which the interaction between animals and pathogens drives the evolution of host defenses against infections while at the same time driving the evolution of pathogen strategies to avoid detection. According to the review article, […]
Could you imagine drinking a can of soda every minute just to support your high metabolism? Amazingly, that is the equivalent to how much sugar a hummingbird needs to support their rapid wingbeats during flight. In fact, hummingbird flight muscles are the fastest on record, allowing the birds to flap their wings at a rate of up to 200 beats per second! That explains why they are always at my […]
Migratory birds are amazingly adapted for long-distance flights and can switch the fuels they rely on to support their endurance activities. Unlike humans that burn mainly carbohydrates for endurance exercise, avian flight is fueled mainly by fats and some proteins. In a recent study published in the American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology researchers examined how white-throated sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) prepared for migration. By altering the […]
The Arizona Physiological Society, a chapter of the American Physiological Society, hosted their 15th annual scientific meeting this past weekend! Here are some highlights… The Keynote Address was presented by Dr. Harold D Schultz, Professor in the Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology at the University of Nebraska. His talk focused on the physiology of heart failure and how the nervous system regulates blood pressure. This year’s Arizona Distinguished Physiologist […]
Fall is an exciting time as many of the chapters of the American Physiological Society host regional conferences. The Midlands Society of Physiological Sciences hosted their annual meeting earlier this month. Here are some highlights from their meeting. Symposia highlights: The meeting was kicked off by a Keynote Lecture presented by Dr. David A Kass from Johns Hopkins University who presented his research on obesity and heart failure. Here is […]
Life Lines by Dr. Dolittle 