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Earlier this year, I wrote about a group of scientists who are analyzing canine DNA to learn more about human psychiatric diseases. I’m happy to report that other researchers are using genetic tools to help abused dogs.
Last year, police in seven states took down a large dog-fighting ring, which included some 400 animals. After running DNA tests, the investigators discovered that most of the dogs were related — compelling evidence that their owners acquired them from the same sources and were involved in the same crimes.
That large collection of DNA (stored at the University of California, Davis) will help authorities in future cases, according to a piece in the New York Times:
“There is definitely a C.S.I. effect,” said Melinda Merck [a veterinarian for the A.S.P.C.A.]. “Juries want to know that if you have evidence you’ve run every possible test. The DNA is just one more tool in our kit that can bolster our cases.” She added, “I do think it’s something that is going to make the dog-fighting world very nervous.”
…The database may also prove useful in forensic investigations of blood samples found at a dog-fighting site, allowing them to establish the presence of a particular dog.
“One of the challenges in a lot of these fighting pits is that the losing dogs are often executed and dumped along the side of the road somewhere,” said [A.S.P.C.A. investigator] Tim Rickey. “This database may provide a useful tool for tracking down where the animal was bred, and maybe the owner.”
How long does a fruit fly sleep? That depends on its genetic make-up, according to research presented this weekend at a meeting of the Genetics Society of America in Boston, Massachusetts.
Researchers identified nearly 1,000 genes in which certain single-letter changes in DNA, called SNPs (for single nucleotide polymorphisms), are associated with the length of sleep.
This preliminary study is the first to come out of the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel project, a catalogue of variations across the complete genomes of 192 inbred lines of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.
So far, the researchers have deposited raw sequence data from 152 lines in a freely available database, spurring roughly 50 other groups to begin genome-wide association (GWA) studies, which compare the SNPs of flies that show various complex behaviours.
“Once all of the data are out, there will be an army of people who will immediately go after it,” says Charles Langley, a population geneticist at the University of California, Davis, who was not involved in the latest study.
…read the rest of my article at Nature News
Simply amazing footage of what a Scottish eagle, Tilly, sees during flight (and an explanation of how the producers captured it):
(Hat tip: Bad Astronomy)
Sigh, it happened: we have a mouse. Or two, or more — who knows! I’m terrified of the little vermin, which unfortunately means that I will be avoiding the kitchen when home alone.
So far when I’ve complained about this, friends have tried to comfort me by saying that you can only live in a garden apartment in NYC for so long before you see a furry creature. And apparently, according to some research I stumbled upon today, mice are probably only one of about 100 different species sharing my space:
Two New York City high school students exploring their homes using the latest high-tech DNA analysis techniques were astonished to discover a veritable zoo of 95 animal species surrounding them, in everything from fridges to furniture. [::shudder::]
…Among other things, Tan and Cost found an invasive species of insect in a box of grapefruit from Texas as well as what could be a new species or subspecies of New York cockroach.
…Beginning in November 2008, the students accumulated a total of 217 household products and items and sent them to the American Museum of Natural History for analysis. Some 151 of them contained usable DNA, representing 95 different animal species — 60 vertebrates and 35 invertebrates. In addition to the cockroach, the students identified a long-legged house centipede — an alien species that originated in Europe — and an Oriental latrine fly found in the southern U.S.
One of my favorite popular science books is Good Germs, Bad Germs, by Jessica Snyder Sachs. In it, Sachs lays out some interesting questions about immunity and, obviously, germs, such as…why do babies put anything and everything into their mouths? Why has there been such a big increase in allergies over the past couple of decades? The book’s basic premise is that our (meaning Americans, mostly) fear of bacteria has led to an overuse of antibiotics, and an under-exposure to germs that actually help us fend off illness later in life.
Now, for the first time, there’s direct evidence to back up that idea, coming from a new study about pigs in the mud.
From Photo Synthesis:
As filter feeders, crinoids optimally position themselves in places where currents — tidal and otherwise — pass over them. The cirri of crinoids have tiny hooks at the ends, which help them to hold on and stay in place during feeding. While this may be functional for the crinoids, should they decide to perch on a soft surface, those hooks on the cirri can do damage.
From ScienceNOW today:
Warning: This treatment could turn your skin blue. Researchers have found that Brilliant Blue G (BBG), a close relative of the common food dye, Blue No. 1, may protect neurons in mammals with spinal cord injuries. After such injuries, ATP, which facilitates signaling in neurons, can flood the area around the injured spinal cord and send neurons into a firing frenzy. That leads to inflammation and irreversible tissue damage. But BBG can cross the highly selective blood-brain barrier and block the spinal neuron’s ATP receptors; researchers report online 27 July in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. When administered 15 minutes after an acute spinal cord injury, BBG prevented inflammation and improved motor recovery in rats. But, as you can see, there was one side effect.
(Hat tip: David)
In February, I wrote about a controversial report claiming that people with autism have ‘eagle-eye’ vision. Now, four scientists have published rebuttals to that study, citing major flaws in the way the experiment was carried out.
In the original paper, Emma Ashwin used a computer program to measure how well people with autism can see super-small pictures. Controlled experiments of this kind hadn’t been done before, but there are many anecdotal stories of people with autism noticing tiny details of a scene (sometimes at the expense of seeing the ‘big picture’).
This spiral 'nuptial gift', usually stored in the belly of a male firefly, contains protein and sperm. He passes it to his lady, and the extra nourishment helps her produce viable eggs.
I know, I’m probably the 1,000th blogger to give props to Carl Zimmer’s new piece about firefly courtship, cleverly titled ‘Blink Twice if You Like Me‘. But I don’t care. It’s an amazing read, and a perfect send-off to this weekend of fireworks. Here’s a taste:
For Dr. Lewis, this meadow is the stage for an invertebrate melodrama, full of passion and yearning, of courtship duets and competitions for affection, of cruel deception and gruesome death. For the past 16 years, Dr. Lewis has been coming to this field to decipher the evolutionary forces at play in this production, as fireflies have struggled to survive and spread their genes to the next generation.
I had a fantastic time at the World Science Festival last weekend. I assessed clues from a murder scene, heard a lecture by the maker of the Inner Life of a Cell animation series, watched a dog-training demonstration for kids (“Who’s heard of Pavlov?”), and learned about ‘Generation IV’ nuclear reactors from a dude who designs them.
One thing I didn’t see was a session about Snowball, the famous dancing Cockatoo. After watching this video clip, I really, really wish I had:
