The scent of sickness: 5 questions answered about using dogs – and mice and ferrets – to detect disease
Scientists are experimenting with using dogs to sniff out people infected with COVID-19. But dogs aren't the only animals with a nose for disease.
Glen J. Golden, Research Scientist/Scholar I, Colorado State University •
conversation
Jan. 13, 2021 • ~8 min
Jan. 13, 2021 • ~8 min
infectious-diseases covid-19 dogs mammals mice smell air-travel odor olfaction disease-surveillance avian-flu animal-training
Bitter battles between stinkbugs and carnivorous mice could hold clues for controlling human pain
Animals that regularly dine on toxic food may hold clues for designing new drugs to treat persistent pain in humans.
Lauren Koenig, PhD Candidate in Integrative Biology, Michigan State University •
conversation
Dec. 9, 2020 • ~9 min
Dec. 9, 2020 • ~9 min
desert biology mice beetles pain rodents venom carnivores predator-and-prey poison
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.
Francisco J. Santiago-Ávila, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Wisconsin-Madison •
conversation
July 30, 2020 • ~7 min
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.
Mark Klempner, Professor of Medicine and Executive Vice Chancellor for MassBiologics, University of Massachusetts Medical School •
conversation
June 4, 2020 • ~7 min
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.
Julia Buck, Assistant Professor of Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington
• conversation
April 3, 2020 • ~8 min
April 3, 2020 • ~8 min
evolution covid-19 mice colonies animals social-distancing isolation coronavirus-2020 altruism bats animal-behavior ants contagion monkeys
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