It seems that we are learning more every day about potential exposure to “forever chemicals”, such as PFAS. From proposed laws in California that would ban PFAS in cookware and other items to maps such as the one above showing potential contamination in tap water. These chemicals are drawing so much attention because they do not break down easily and can remain in the environment for decades. In addition, PFAS […]
Hibernation was also a hot…I mean warm…topic at the American Physiology Summit last month in Baltimore, MD. Thomas Crippen presented research conducted with team members Dr. Dylan Barth, Zac Carlson, Dr. Frank van Breukelen, and Dr. Allyson Hindle at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Their study focused on golden-mantled ground squirrels, Callospermophilus lateralis, which are remarkable even among hibernators. These squirrels can enter torpor across a range of environmental […]
Researchers have recently developed an innovative filter capable of removing over 95% of microplastics from water. This “biomass fibrous” foam filter, made from cotton-derived cellulose and chitin sourced from squid, retains its efficiency across at least five cycles of filtering lake, coastal, irrigation, and still water (Wu et al., 2024). Meanwhile, other scientists are studying the natural filtration mechanisms of marine animals like manta rays, whales, and fish gills to […]
Devils Hole pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis) are a tiny critically endangered fish that live in a pond in just one limestone cave, known as Devils Hole, in Death Valley, Nevada. In fact, their habitat is the smallest known for a vertebrate. Biologists from the Nevada Department of Wildlife, US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service have been painstakingly counting these tiny fish twice a year. Counting these fish […]
Congratulations to Dr. Martin Grosell, recipient of the 2024 August Krogh Distinguished Lectureship from the Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology section of the American Physiological Society! Dr. Grosell is professor and chair of the Department of Marine Biology and Ecology at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science in Florida. The Krogh award is sponsored by Novo Nordisk Foundation and is awarded to a member of […]
The reason mammals are not very good at tolerating hypoxic (i.e. low oxygen) environments, is because the brain relies heavily on oxygen for metabolism. It is so stingy, it uses about 20% of the oxygen in the body to make ATP. Without oxygen, the brain has to rely on glycolysis to make ATP and this process is not good at meeting the energy requirements of the neurons, ultimately resulting in […]
Nature has already solved many problems that doctors, researchers, and architects are still trying to solve for humans. For example, some of our prior posts have talked about how some animals are resistant to developing cancer: Elephants Tasmanian devils Naked mole rats Other animals have developed special nano antibodies (nanobodies) to fight disease. Llamas While several are tolerant of very low oxygen levels in the environment, others are champions of […]
Naked mole rats are rather famous from a physiological perspective for their amazing ability to live in hypoxic conditions. They do so in part by reducing their metabolic rate. In fact, researchers at the University of Ottawa in Canada showed that reducing environmental oxygen levels to 11% resulted in a 34% decrease in the animal’s metabolic rate. Studies of hypoxia-tolerant goldfish show that the animals respond to hypoxia challenges by […]
Adult fish rely on gills to extract oxygen from the surrounding water. Larval fish, on the other hand, do not have well-developed gills and instead rely primarily on gas exchange across their skin. In a new study published in the American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, researchers examined whether larval fish could use their pectoral fins to increase the flow of water […]
A new study conducted by researchers at Arizona State University shows that snakes resort to pulling water from their muscles when environmental water is not available. Their findings were also published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B – Biological Sciences. Video Source: YouTube
Life Lines by Dr. Dolittle 