News by Subject Biology

As the climate changes, myriad animal populations are being impacted. In particular, Arctic sea-ice is in decline, causing polar bears in the Barents Sea region to alter their feeding and hunting habits. Bears that follow sea-ice to offshore areas have higher pollutant levels than those staying on land -- but why? A new study in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology reports the likely reasons.

Consumers seeking cheaper, faster access to antibiotics may be consuming antibiotics intended for treating fish rather than humans, according to research presented at the ASHP (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists) 54th Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition. This consumption may lead to dangerous unintended consequences such as adverse side-effects, treatment failures, and antibiotic drug resistance.

Simulations predict that behavioral interventions such as imposing strict no-food restrictions after meals can be as effective as strong anorectic drugs in reducing food intake in rodents, according to a study published Dec. 5 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Tom McGrath, Kevin Murphy and Nick Jones of Imperial College London, and colleagues.

Women and those with veterinary experience were better at recognizing cats' expressions -- even those who reported no strong attachment to cats. The study involved more than 6,300 people from 85 countries. Most participants found the test challenging. Their average score was 12 out of 20 -- somewhat above chance. But 13 percent of participants performed well, correctly scoring 15 or better -- a group informally called 'the cat whisperers.'

Most mammals walk at slow speeds and run or trot at intermediate speeds because these movement strategies are energetically optimal, according to a study published in PLOS Computational Biology by Delyle Polet and John Bertram of the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada.

New research in rats shows that cortical arousals and brief awakenings during sleep exhibit non-equilibrium dynamics and complex organization across time scales necessary for spontaneous sleep-stage transitions and for maintaining healthy sleep. Professor Plamen Ch. Ivanov of Boston University and colleagues present these findings in PLOS Computational Biology.