News by Subject Policy & Ethics

'Our research results showed that dogs responded to these vibrotactile cues as well or even better than vocal commands,' says Prof. Amir Shapiro, director of the Robotics Laboratory within BGU's Department of Mechanical Engineering. 'Our current proof-of-concept study shows promising results that open the way toward the use of haptics for human-canine communication.'

The movie Finding Nemo could have a much darker sequel -- as artificial light in coral reefs leaves the famous fish unable to reproduce offspring, according to a new study. Results from a new study published in Biology Letters show an increasing amount of artificial light at night (ALAN) in coral reefs, even at relatively low levels, masks natural cues which trigger clownfish eggs to hatch after dusk.

In a study published in Nature Scientific Reports, in collaboration with AstraZeneca, Hesperos described how they used a pumpless heart model and a heart:liver system to evaluate the temporal pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic relationship for terfenadine, an antihistamine that was banned due to toxic cardiac effects, as well as determine its mechanism of toxicity. The findings further support the potential of body-on-a-chip systems to transform the drug discovery process and prevent needless time consuming and costly animal studies.

A comprehensive database of gene activity in mice across ten disease models, which could significantly reduce animal use worldwide, has been developed by scientists at the Francis Crick Institute, which gives a full picture of the immune response to different pathogens.

Increasing the success of wildlife translocations is critical, given the escalating global threats to wildlife. The study highlights the influence of a species' social structure on translocation success, and it provides a template for incorporating social information in the rehabilitation and release planning process. Using elephants as a model, the study highlights the need to include animal social structure as an integral part of conservation plans, in order to assure better animal welfare and program success.