Life Lines by Dr. Dolittle

Tag Archive for ‘American Physiological Society’

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2025 August Krogh Distinguished Lecturer, Dr. Michael Hedrick

We are delighted to announce that Dr. Michael Hedrick (Emeritus Professor, California State University – East Bay) received the 2025 August Krogh Distinguished Lectureship award at the 2025 American Physiology Summit! He shared his body of research on how frogs and toads (anurans) regulate their lymphatic system in a lecture entitled, “What Goes Down Must Come Up: Regulation of Lymph Movement in Anuran Amphibians.” Dr. Hedrick earned his Ph.D. in […]

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Weddell seals dampen inflammatory response to combat dive induced hypoxemia injury

We are very excited to share this winning guest blog post from Amy Klink, doctoral student at the University of Nevada – Las Vegas. Amy received the Dr. Dolittle travel award to present this research at the 2025 American Physiology Summit in Baltimore. Congratulations Amy! As a kid growing up in Lake County, Illinois, I spent more than half of my summer in some lake or body of water competing […]

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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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Surviving the heat: How humans and animals adapt to hot environments

Heat is a major physiological stressor that can damage proteins in the body, promote dehydration and even lead to death. Organisms living in hot environments must develop both behavioral and physiological mechanisms to prevent heat-related damage or illness. A recent review published in Physiology examined how humans and experimental animals adapt to heat (Laitano et al., 2025).    Organisms that tolerate heat effectively can maintain normal physiological functions even when […]

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The gatekeepers of life: Exploring the complex role of GPCRs

Cell membranes are incredibly complex environments that play crucial roles in interacting with other cells, sensing specific molecules in the body, controlling what crosses the membrane, and other vital functions. The composition of these membranes varies between organs in an animal, between similar organs in different species, and even between individuals of the same species. Think of cell membranes as gatekeepers, responsible for detecting various chemical signals (such as ions […]

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Brain Power on a Budget: How Bullfrogs Survive Without Oxygen

Did you know that your brain is really greedy? It uses about 5.7 kilograms of ATP every day, which is an incredible amount of energy! To keep up with such demand, the brain depends on an adequate supply of oxygen and nutrients, such as glucose. When oxygen or nutrient delivery are limited, like during a heart attack, stroke or in low-oxygen environments, the brain is unable to produce enough ATP […]

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Celebrating National Squirrel Appreciation Day: Recent discoveries about ground squirrel hibernation

I am thrilled to have come across a calendar of fun and interesting “holidays” for all sorts of occasions, including celebrating nature and the animals around us. In honor of ‘National Squirrel Appreciation Day’, let’s take a moment to marvel at furry survival experts and the incredible science behind winter slumber in ground squirrels.     When temperatures drop, ground squirrels settle down for a long winter’s nap. During hibernation, their […]

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Time Machine: Do horses produce more heat per day than humans, and what happened to Tusko?

In this post, we travel back to 1947 to explore a fascinating review by Dr. Max Kleiber from the University of California – Davis. Published in Physiological Reviews, this review examined the relationship between body size and metabolism. Simply asking the question of whether horses produce more heat per day than humans or rats will lead one to conclude that indeed they do because of their larger body size. However, […]

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How hummingbirds beat the heat

On this National Bird Day, let’s dive into some fascinating research about one of nature’s most amazing species: hummingbirds. Last spring, Dr. Derrick Groom and his team in The Avian Energetics Lab at San Francisco State University, including students Cecilia Doan and Christian Guerzon, presented their research at the 2024 American Physiology Summit. Their study explored how these tiny birds manage water loss in a warm environment (30 degrees C). […]

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Time machine: The discovery of heparin

In this post, we take a step back in time to feature two legacy articles published in the American Journal of Physiology, written by Jay McClean and Dr. William Howell who studied the physiology of blood clotting. With the 2025 American Physiology Summit taking place in Baltimore, it is only fitting that we take a step back in time to celebrate their important discoveries. Dr. Howell was born in Baltimore, […]

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