Life Lines by Dr. Dolittle

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Tag Archive for ‘rodent’

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Protecting oil palms and owls with cholecalciferol

Wild rodent infestations can destroy crops and pose many risks to public health. According to the CDC, they are hosts to many diseases including Hantavirus, Monkeypox, Salmonella, Hemorrhagic fever, Lassa fever, Leptospirosis, Arenavirus, Sylvatic Typhus, and Tularemia. Wild rodents may also indirectly spread diseases to humans and other animals through infected ticks, mites, mosquitoes, and fleas that feast on them. Such indirect illnesses include Lyme disease, Plague, Typhus, Colorado Tick […]

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Remarkable hypoxia and cold tolerance of rodents native to the Tibetan plateau

The plateau zokor (Eospalax baileyi) is an underground dwelling rodent species native to the Tibetan plateau (2000-4200 meters in elevation). A new study published in the American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology explored how these animals were adapted to extract oxygen from an environment with very low levels (83-88% of atmospheric). Hemoglobin molecules found in red blood cells are responsible for binding oxygen and transporting it to tissues […]

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Could circadian rhythms negatively impact research?

Our lives are regulated by a complex biological clock that controls our circadian rhythms. The master clock is located in our hypothalamus and functions to ensure that specific proteins are turned on or off at the right times. These functions are important not only for cell function, but also for proliferation and survival of species. Of concern to our health is the notion that changes in our exposure to environmental […]

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