Don't blame cats for destroying wildlife – shaky logic is leading to moral panic
Framing cats as responsible for declines in biodiversity is based on faulty scientific logic and fails to account for the real culprit – human activity.
July 30, 2020 • ~7 min
conservation biodiversity birds ethics mice science australia rats cats sixth-mass-extinction conservation-biology logic justice moral-panic predator compassion apex-predators habitat-degradation
A Lyme disease vaccine doesn't exist, but a yearly antibody shot shows promise at preventing infection
Researchers are developing a seasonal shot that blocks Lyme disease-causing bacteria from a tick.
June 4, 2020 • ~7 min
mice fda vaccines lyme-disease prevention
Social distancing works – just ask lobsters, ants and vampire bats
Using distance to avoid getting sick has deep evolutionary roots for humans and many other species.
April 3, 2020 • ~8 min
evolution covid-19 mice colonies animals social-distancing isolation coronavirus-2020 altruism bats animal-behavior ants contagion monkeys
Social lab mice would be better stand-ins for people
"Normally when we do these studies, we isolate the animals for their entire lives. This is not a good model for humans..."
Oct. 31, 2019 • ~5 min
mice science research science-and-technology social-lives sounds
Ticks aren’t the only critter to spread Lyme disease
The genome of the white-footed mouse could offer new approaches to stemming the spread of Lyme disease, say researchers.
July 29, 2019 • ~5 min
dna mice genomes ticks lyme-disease health-and-medicine
Gene-editing tool prevents hearing loss in mice with hereditary deafness
Scientists have used an optimized version of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing system to prevent hearing loss in so-called Beethoven mice, which carry a genetic mutation that causes profound hearing loss in humans and mice alike.
July 3, 2019 • ~12 min
science-technology blavatnik-institute-at-harvard-medical-school beethoven-mice deafness gene-editing-tool hearing-loss
1 part of the brain connects sound and action in mice
Researchers have known about the path that sound takes through the mouse brain, but not how sound influences behavior. Now they've figured it out.
April 23, 2019 • ~4 min
hearing mice brains sound science-and-technology
Harvard study captures clear picture of how evolution works in vertebrates
A study in which mice were released into outdoor enclosures to track how light- and dark-colored specimens survived confirms that mice survive better in similarly colored habitats, providing insights into evolution.
Feb. 8, 2019 • ~8 min
science-technology evolution basic-research coat-color color dark-colored faculty-of-arts-and-sciences fas harvard hoekstra hopi-hoekstra light-colored mice mouse nebraska peter-reuell reuell sand-hills vertebrate-evolution
Harvard study captures clear picture of how evolution works in vertebrates
A study in which mice were released into outdoor enclosures to track how light- and dark-colored specimens survived confirms that mice survive better in similarly colored habitats, providing insights into evolution.
Feb. 8, 2019 • ~8 min
science-technology evolution basic-research coat-color color dark-colored faculty-of-arts-and-sciences fas harvard hoekstra hopi-hoekstra light-colored mice mouse nebraska peter-reuell reuell sand-hills vertebrate-evolution
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