tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34629261835305439292024-03-04T22:06:34.738-08:00The SminthophileA Blog about Mice: In the lab, in the wild, and in our livesSminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-68504450587747489072009-03-13T11:29:00.000-07:002009-03-13T11:30:42.516-07:00Off topicNo mice here. Just great music.<br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AyCqZyggtWE&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AyCqZyggtWE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-55066217666055628952009-03-05T06:03:00.000-08:002009-03-05T06:11:44.826-08:00What do you think?OK, I've been busy and will continue to be busy for a few weeks. In the meantime, I present this for your perusal. You know that myth about elephants being afraid of mice?<br /><br /><div><object width="480" height="292"><param name="movie" value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/k1kWTr643wisv2p5vk&related=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/k1kWTr643wisv2p5vk&related=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="480" height="292"></embed></object><b><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3k5pe_mouse-v-elephant_fun">Mouse v elephant</a></b><br /><i>Uploaded by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/krupis">krupis</a><br /><br /></i>Anyone care to critique the scientific method in this experiment?<i><br /></i></div>Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-52132218478423978652009-02-17T07:03:00.000-08:002009-02-17T07:30:32.279-08:00The evolution of evolution<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieE9_bDp75u1fH4uc_E90KkHcCZM5KuXmPafM6wiR_GAwV9bqz-y87jztoK9PM2ncq-uWsgOWRf5qVOspjhdVskHFWX3mGH35AHdcOnH-Z1PK9R4bvqFhyPb18t_Iop8wHbAyA32gO6EKY/s1600-h/Charles_Darwin_aged_51.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 262px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieE9_bDp75u1fH4uc_E90KkHcCZM5KuXmPafM6wiR_GAwV9bqz-y87jztoK9PM2ncq-uWsgOWRf5qVOspjhdVskHFWX3mGH35AHdcOnH-Z1PK9R4bvqFhyPb18t_Iop8wHbAyA32gO6EKY/s320/Charles_Darwin_aged_51.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303782502482091986" border="0" /></a><br /><br />OK, so I'm a little behind the times. I wanted to wish <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Darwin">Charles Darwin</a> a happy birthday last week, but life got in the way. While we extol the virtues of Darwin and his theory of evolution, I want to talk a little bit about another theory of evolution, that of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamarckism">Jean-Baptiste Lamarck</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmrL-GE3n170-7lyXBUsw_1WehsH81Nb0Adq36JHPuPGmu2G6e0gqb4NBCDxGvtIobuQVSPQceACRVxz8rQySeyWKprSOmJ-yLDCpOhDtoStTDw4AjHy2nQbAOKfHUzCtlz9Y7bUz0kuh/s1600-h/Jean-baptiste_lamarck2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 310px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmrL-GE3n170-7lyXBUsw_1WehsH81Nb0Adq36JHPuPGmu2G6e0gqb4NBCDxGvtIobuQVSPQceACRVxz8rQySeyWKprSOmJ-yLDCpOhDtoStTDw4AjHy2nQbAOKfHUzCtlz9Y7bUz0kuh/s320/Jean-baptiste_lamarck2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303784526353980002" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />The Lamarckian theory of evolution states that acquired traits can be inherited. The classic example is the long neck of the giraffe. Lamarck's explanation would be that as giraffes stretch up to eat the leaves of trees, their necks become longer and stronger. Their offspring would then have long necks. The Darwinian explanation would be that those giraffes with genetically determined longer necks would be better able to reach the leaves up in the trees, and thus better able to survive and produce offspring, passing along their long-neck genes to their young.<br /><br />The more recent field of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epigenetics">epigenetics</a> is lending some credence to Lamarck's ideas. Recently published papers in <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T4S-4TX187K-1&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=97640efc64e3912a184d36a2cb29c202">Biological Psychiatry</a> and <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/29/5/1496?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=feig&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT">The Journal of Neuroscience</a> show that experience can alter certain traits in mice and that these traits can be inherited.<br /><br />More <a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/22061/page1/">here</a>.<br /><br />I'm not saying that Darwin was wrong, or that giraffes owe their necks to stretching instead of genes. Like any scientific theory, Darwin's theory of evolution has evolved and will continue to evolve as new information is obtained. It doesn't invalidate the theory. It just makes it more elegant.Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-24127526311921782592009-01-16T06:00:00.000-08:002009-01-16T06:07:28.541-08:00How the other half blogs<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">If you want to find out about my other <s>life</s> blog, go <a href="http://jjhoutman.livejournal.com/">here</a>.</p>Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-11337873221481045622009-01-05T17:49:00.000-08:002009-01-05T18:37:40.417-08:00Fat-bottomed miceFrom <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/dietandfitness/4076555/Having-a-large-bottom-could-help-protect-against-diabetes-claims-study.html">telegraph.co.uk</a><br /><blockquote>Having a large bottom could help protect against diabetes, claims study<br />Having a large behind and hips may actually have health benefits and protect against diabetes, according to a new study.<br /><br /><br />By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent<br />Last Updated: 3:57PM GMT 02 Jan 2009<br /><br />Researchers believe the type of fat that accumulates around the hips and buttocks, rather than around your stomach, may offer some protection against developing the disease.<br /><br />But fat that collects around the stomach, known as visceral fat and often resulting in a 'beer belly', can raise a person's risk of diabetes and heart disease.<br /><br />That means people with pear-shaped bodies, with fat deposits in the buttocks and hips, are likely to be less prone to these disorders, concluded the research at Harvard Medical School.<br /><br />Scientists believe that the more beneficial fat, called subcutaneous fat because it collects just under the skin, may help to improve sensitivity to the hormone insulin, which regulates blood sugar levels.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.hms.harvard.edu/dms/bbs/fac/kahn.html">Dr Ronald Kahn</a>, who led the research published in <a href="http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/home">Cell Metabolism</a>, said obesity in subcutaneous areas - the 'pear' shape - might decrease risks.<br /><br />He carried out experiments by artificially switching the two types of fat around the body of mice and seeing what effect it had.<br /><br />"The surprising thing was that it wasn't where the fat was located, it was the kind of fat that was the most important variable," he said:<br /><br />"Even more surprising, it wasn't that abdominal fat was exerting negative effects, but that subcutaneous fat was producing a good effect.<br /><br />"Animals with more subcutaneous fat didn't gain as much weight as they got older, had better insulin sensitivity, lower insulin levels and were improved all around."<br /><br />Mice given subcutaneous fat transplanted into their bellies started to slim down after several weeks.<br /><br />They also showed improved blood sugar and insulin levels compared to other mice.<br /><br />Dr Kahn said this is an important result because it shows that not all fat is bad and could help prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.<br /><br />The team are trying to find the substances produced in subcutaneous fat that provide the benefit as this could lead to the development of new drugs which mimic this effect.<br /><br />There are more than 2.5 million people in Britain with diabetes and it is estimated another half a million have the condition but do not know it.</blockquote>Funny, I couldn't find the citation for a "new study," just <a href="http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/abstract/S1550-4131%2808%2900114-9">this one</a>.Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-37807386416234589712008-12-24T07:15:00.000-08:002008-12-24T07:22:43.683-08:00Mousy Mittens<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-SXVaxdRsbQmKO_kroaWWukvoo3S4dds3hIAfUuRCPfi7Mhg8k0d1_HYz2yOA7Ptt0i-rsGAxif6mA4CV9PyuFS-C8oVjqDdDLE6wmMwAG8d5xc0Fq0Nrm7aHcBCRNWgj7T9fcxIxbqI/s1600-h/mouse+mittens.bmp"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-SXVaxdRsbQmKO_kroaWWukvoo3S4dds3hIAfUuRCPfi7Mhg8k0d1_HYz2yOA7Ptt0i-rsGAxif6mA4CV9PyuFS-C8oVjqDdDLE6wmMwAG8d5xc0Fq0Nrm7aHcBCRNWgj7T9fcxIxbqI/s320/mouse+mittens.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283376052418986994" border="0" /></a>For <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--><s>both<o:p></o:p></s> all of my loyal readers...<br /><br />A gift, handmade by <a href="http://spacegoo.blogspot.com/">Ms. Ether</a>.<br /><br />Keep those paws warm!!<br /><div face="Helvetica" size="12px" style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><br /></div> <div style="margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><br /></div> <div style="margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Lucida Grande';"><br /></span></div> <div style="margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><br /></div>Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-5133166440440547712008-12-20T17:32:00.000-08:002008-12-20T17:34:21.615-08:00Revenge of the RodentsFrom <a href="http://arkansasmatters.com/content/fulltext/news/?cid=167801">arkansasmatters.com</a>:<br /><br /><div class="fullTextTitle"></div><blockquote><div class="fullTextTitle">Mice Start Deadly Fire That Kills 100 Cats at Shelter</div> <div style="font-size: 11px; color: rgb(119, 119, 119); display: inline;">Reported by: <i>RNS</i></div><br /><div style="font-size: 11px; color: rgb(119, 119, 119); display: inline;"><i>Saturday, Dec 20, 2008 @11:25am CST</i></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Canadian authorities say mice were responsible for starting a fire that killed about 100 cats at an animal shelter.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">The "Toronto Star" reports the 250-thousand-dollar blaze is still under investigation, but preliminary reports suggest it began from mice chewing through electrical wires.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Several rabbits and rodents also died in the fire but firefighters were able to save nine dogs.<br /></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><br />While many flooded the shelter's website with donations, some are questioning why the animals were left unattended overnight.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">According to the shelter's manager, it can't afford an overnight staff.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><span> </span></span></blockquote>Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-88312905906385663582008-12-16T05:55:00.000-08:002008-12-16T05:58:31.599-08:00The eternal struggleMan's inhumanity to mouse, or what to do with too much time (and technology) on your hands.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.baynesolutions.net/mouse/FirstContact.aspx">http://www.baynesolutions.net/mouse/FirstContact.aspx</a><br /><br />Note: Contains some four-letter words and depictions of violence against mice.Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-70911643327839718532008-12-05T06:37:00.000-08:002008-12-05T06:52:35.349-08:00Gourmet Mice<a href="http://icanhascheezburger.com/2008/08/24/funny-pictures-omgomgomg/"><img class="mine_1675320" src="http://icanhascheezburger.wordpress.com/files/2008/08/funny-pictures-mouse-is-in-a-room-full-of-cheese.jpg" alt="cat" /></a><br /><a href="http://icanhascheezburge%3cbr/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></a><br /><br />Police have seized 2,010 rounds of Parmigiano-Reggiano valued at over $1,000,000 from a warehouse in Parma, Italy. The cheese, nearly 80 tons of it, is being evaluated to determine if it is fit for human consumption after an infestation of mice was discovered. At least 29 of the cheeses had mouse tooth marks.<br /><br />Grate that on your pasta and eat it.<br /><br />Sources: <a href="http://finchannel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25634&Itemid=13">here</a>, <a href="http://www.russiatoday.com/features/news/34073">here</a>, and <a href="http://en.rian.ru/world/20081201/118627427.html">here</a>.<br /><a href="http://icanhascheezburge%3cbr/"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span></a>Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-31102315365053600312008-11-25T06:41:00.000-08:002008-11-25T07:06:09.616-08:00Glow in the Dark MiceThis year's <a href="http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2008/press.html">Nobel Prize in Chemistry</a> was awarded to scientists who took a fluorescent protein from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aequorea_victoria">jellyfish</a> and <a href="http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2008/info.pdf">developed a technique</a> to tag proteins with it, "shedding light," so to speak, on countless biological processes. One of those scientists, Osamu Shimomura, writes <a href="http://www.biolbull.org/cgi/reprint/189/1/1?view=long&pmid=7654844">here</a> about the early days of that research, cutting up jellyfish and extracting the protein.<br /><br />And here is an example of an application of that technique, with some surprising findings about stem cells:<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/n0UzdYRnMtY&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/n0UzdYRnMtY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-75973484770011473272008-11-19T05:57:00.001-08:002008-12-05T17:52:00.248-08:00Happy Birthday Mickey!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCiwwe1JwJADq3MgtsTyxY9CAPZRzD_msGsNelflGwaISpEwfz2tkX2RC5ad458T8RAB7Z0FMJ9_MpBrIFWS2EA3MwnUypidjXpb-oZU4C8Fk777aHXz_iBm-cxtQ_nPybMRnlPm3M_c_/s1600-h/Mickey-004.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCiwwe1JwJADq3MgtsTyxY9CAPZRzD_msGsNelflGwaISpEwfz2tkX2RC5ad458T8RAB7Z0FMJ9_MpBrIFWS2EA3MwnUypidjXpb-oZU4C8Fk777aHXz_iBm-cxtQ_nPybMRnlPm3M_c_/s320/Mickey-004.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270367528909947010" border="0" /></a>The most famous mouse of all made his debut on November 18, 1928, in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamboat_Willie"><span style="font-style: italic;">Steamboat Willie</span></a>.<br /><br />Walt Disney, who provided Mickey's first voice, had originally intended to call him Mortimer.<br /><br />Imagine the theme song:<br /><br />M-O-R-T Tea and scones anyone?<br />I-M-E-R Are you sure?Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-90654554551983647742008-11-18T05:58:00.000-08:002008-11-18T06:05:30.393-08:00Page 56 MemeThanks to <a href="http://quakeragitator.wordpress.com/">QuakerDave</a>, I finally have a <a href="http://quakeragitator.wordpress.com/2008/11/17/page-56-meme/#comments">meme</a> I can do.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.<br />* Turn to page 56.<br />* Find the fifth sentence.<br />* Post that sentence along with these instructions on your blog (or Facebook wall).<br />* Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.</span><br /><br />Here's mine:<br /><blockquote>"Stereocilia increase the surface area of the epithelium for absorption."<br /><br /></blockquote>Oh, what a fascinating life I lead...<br /><br />Tag, you're it.Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-54048769803616659322008-11-07T05:56:00.000-08:002008-11-25T08:50:33.297-08:00It's Alive!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-_rH4zoizht-sVEaBrMfRqoJijRTq4-yd9o3w7grHpxfoy0V1sRwcW-Bf_gOf8L8hWKdAo984vrIzINk_AJjR_e_fVJ749aTchXvCiFxgF3YoKVvnFJ9I9vH7ifCB4m48V_Kd7BrD-Nu/s1600-h/Frankenstein's_monster_(Boris_Karloff).jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-_rH4zoizht-sVEaBrMfRqoJijRTq4-yd9o3w7grHpxfoy0V1sRwcW-Bf_gOf8L8hWKdAo984vrIzINk_AJjR_e_fVJ749aTchXvCiFxgF3YoKVvnFJ9I9vH7ifCB4m48V_Kd7BrD-Nu/s320/Frankenstein's_monster_(Boris_Karloff).jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265914432406748818" border="0" /></a><br />Scientists in Japan have succeeded in producing healthy cloned mice from mice that had been frozen for up to 16 years.<br /><br />Usually, when you clone an animal from a frozen specimen, that specimen has been intentionally frozen for future cloning. That means great care was taken to prevent the cells from rupturing and a cryoprotective agent (like polyvinylpyrrolidone or glycerol) was added to keep the membranes intact.<br /><br />In this study, there was no cryoprotectant and the cells were not viable. The investigators managed to produce their clones using just the nuclear material, and not living cells.<br /><br />This means that it may be possible to produce living clones from frozen specimens of animals that are endangered, or even extinct.<br /><br />Like the <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v456/n7220/abs/nature07446.html">woolly mammoth</a>.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2008/10/31/0806166105">Here's the paper.</a>Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-39511759576619554612008-10-21T07:08:00.000-07:002008-10-21T07:17:16.039-07:00Lab humansRemember those <a href="http://sminthophile.blogspot.com/2008/06/where-no-mouse-has-gone-before.html">mice on Mount Everest</a>?<br /><br />There may be a good reason for them to limit their mountain-climbing expeditions. It might shrink their brains.<br /><a href="http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121383105/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0"><br />Scientists</a> have studied human mountain climbers and <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081016084045.htm">found</a> reduced volume and density of white and gray matter in areas of the brain associated with motor activity.<br /><br />It is not known if this phenomenon is relevant to mouse health, but it suggests that mice should use caution when participating in high-altitude activities.Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-6978954214099590182008-10-13T08:40:00.000-07:002008-10-13T09:01:06.066-07:00Going to the happy placeYou can train a mouse to stress out on cue by having it associate a particular sound with an unpleasant experience, like a mild electric shock. A <a href="http://www.hhmi.org/research/investigators/kandel.html">group of researchers</a> at <a href="http://www.columbia.edu/">Columbia University</a> did the opposite. They taught mice "learned safety" by having training them to associate a sound with the LACK of an electric shock.<br /><br />Then they put the mice in the water and let them swim around. After a couple of minutes, mice usually stop moving around, apparently in despair, having lost the will to live. At least that's how scientists interpret that behavior.<br /><br />As reported <a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUKTRE497AJH20081008">here</a> (<a href="http://www.neuron.org/content/article/abstract?uid=PIIS0896627308007460">Here's the paper</a>), mice trained in "learned safety" can regain their will to live when they hear their "happy sound" and they start swimming again. Apparently, mice can be trained to overcome depression.<br /><br />And their brains showed some of the same biological changes seen in mice given antidepressant drugs.<br /><br />Does this mouse have a happy place?<br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gF1-8sV6sg0&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gF1-8sV6sg0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-19807990697943864942008-10-07T06:43:00.001-07:002008-10-07T07:12:45.576-07:00Feathered mice<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMa3jSRQThE1gb_hTA8iPyAX4Z8BXaZJS5ytISF6Qvhy-2dqm7QYVAzehlFvAEeQduO43LgmyeYUs5uNmCEJ6kVoZecZFv3yIWD9iKCb9IzpIccPUtmj7MJ4IYT4RMayhT6MFP_xZdv8TW/s1600-h/Xenicus_lyalli.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMa3jSRQThE1gb_hTA8iPyAX4Z8BXaZJS5ytISF6Qvhy-2dqm7QYVAzehlFvAEeQduO43LgmyeYUs5uNmCEJ6kVoZecZFv3yIWD9iKCb9IzpIccPUtmj7MJ4IYT4RMayhT6MFP_xZdv8TW/s320/Xenicus_lyalli.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254407381248828146" border="0" /></a>Because of its geographical isolation, New Zealand has a unique population of native animals. Until <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/103/51/19419.full">fossil evidence</a> showed otherwise in 2006, it was believed that there were no mammals native to New Zealand that did not swim (<a href="http://www.doc.govt.nz/templates/summary.aspx?id=33235">marine mammals</a>) or fly (<a href="http://www.doc.govt.nz/templates/summary.aspx?id=33095">bats</a>).<br /><br />No mice.<br /><br />But there was an ecological niche that, in the rest of the world, was occupied by mice. In New Zealand, that niche was occupied by the flightless <a href="http://www.terranature.org/wren.htm">Stephen's Island wren (</a><i><a href="http://www.terranature.org/wren.htm">Xenicus lyalli)</a>. </i>Its Latin name is taken from the lighthouse keeper who first described it scientifically, David Lyall.<br /><br />The wren became extinct in 1894. Legend has it that David Lyall's cat, Tibbles, was single-handedly (single-pawedly) responsible for the demise of the Stephen's Island wren. It is more likely that the wren was hunted to extinction by <a href="http://sminthophile.blogspot.com/search?q=feral">feral</a> cats or rats introduced to New Zealand by human settlers.<br /><br />And who arrived to occupy that now-empty niche? <a href="http://www.waikato.ac.nz/news/?article=804">Immigrant mice.</a>Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-92079054545963218142008-09-21T17:26:00.000-07:002008-09-21T17:50:34.977-07:00If your mouse is getting flabby...<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqi2STdDxEK-9gmk0Rm5MGUpzaF88MEaOfRsiqwdg8_SkK1fUDpZDs6GaeZoKxCmhkR_BaD5anK3YYuKAdq4Ii9bQfeE5hUdamdJatL3drhUOAEG5xjZAm4BYU7UlD_M6iIISEzNdwO_qI/s1600-h/hamsterbike.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/hamsterbike.jpg" width="170" height="144" /></a></div><div class="examiners_main_content"><div class="examiners_mainstory"><h2><a href="http://www.examiner.com/x-750-Pet-Examiner%7Ey2008m9d20-Agility-training-for-hamsters-and-rats-gerbils-mice-and-rabbits">Agility training for hamsters (and rats, gerbils, mice and rabbits)</a></h2><a href="http://www.examiner.com/milwaukee/">From the Milwaukee Examiner</a>...<br /><br /> <div style="float: right; padding-top: 25px;"> <a href="http://www.examiner.com/x-750-Pet-Examiner%7Ey2008m9d20-Agility-training-for-hamsters-and-rats-gerbils-mice-and-rabbits#comments"><br /> </a> </div> <div class="new_timestamp" style="padding: 10px 0pt 0pt;">POSTED September 20, 6:46 PM </div> <div style="font-size: 11px; padding-bottom: 10px;">Teri Webster - Pet Examiner</div><!-- START ARTICLE TOOL BOX --><br /><a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=392585390">Running Bear </a>likes to spin his wheels.<p>Every day, he runs for miles on his hamster wheel and rides a motorcycle.<br /><br />Well, he runs inside the large front wheel of his toy motorcycle, and that propels it around a small track.</p><p>But Running Bear is up for a new challenge, so he plans to start agility training.</p><p>His owner, Marna Kazmaier of Belle Fourche, SD, says that hamsters, rats, gerbils, mice and rabbits can learn to run -- or at least meander --over an agility course.</p><p>Many people may not know that hamsters can be trained just like other pets. At least that's what some proud "hammie" owners say.</p><p>The good news is that you don't have to teach them to bite. They do that on their own. Agility training takes a little more work.</p><div class="floatright" style="margin: 10pt 0pt 10px 10px; font-size: 10px; width: 311px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); height: 218px; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238);"><img alt="" src="http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/bearsmotorcycle.jpg" width="300" height="202" /><br />Running Bear runs in the front wheel of his motorcycle.</div><p>"It's a lot of fun and easier than most people might think to train the little animals to run a course," said Kazmaier.</p><p>If you put a treat in your hand, most hamsters will follow it, Kazmaier explains.<br /><br />"Hamsters, as a whole, are not agility course runners," said Kazmaier. "They kind of meander over the course, but they're cute all the same."<br /><br />Hamsters do not jump over obstacles but climb over them so the pieces need to be stable, especially for bigger males, said Kazmaier. </p><p>More information on hamster agility training is available <a href="http://www.hamsteragility.com/">here</a>.<br /><br />Kazmaier also has Web sites for training gerbils, mice, rabbits and rats; "<a href="http://www.bibledonkeys.com/">Bible Donkeys</a>," and working goats and llamas.</p><p>Apparently, there isn't much to do in South Dakota...</p><p>"I had a chicken I taught to do a few tricks," Kazmaier said. "Training animals is kinda my thing."</p><p>According to the Web site <a href="http://www.myhammie.com/">MyHammie.com</a>, you can teach your hamster to stand on its hind legs. Take a sunflower and hold it over the hamster's head and say the word "stand."<br /><br />Eventually, you can just tell the hamster to stand without a treat, the Web site claims.</p><p>Right. And I can teach a "hammie" to fly.</p><p><img alt="" src="http://i33.tinypic.com/24v4605_th.gif" /></p></div></div>Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-35912388696601384282008-09-20T17:35:00.001-07:002008-09-20T18:08:51.487-07:00More about finger length<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3xga6-7Rd-QPCRC1S2OE1sp6fxfHIBfazKey6_kN81Dmnc4FK8yBrLIzDFVcrYiHRyvTjvzTybWv0YWWdJYXsxkgKrOREUjnuSrDD6NPvMrekT93FBoFDle0T4UfIe_AOaUilV9WOiBSb/s1600-h/Phrenology1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3xga6-7Rd-QPCRC1S2OE1sp6fxfHIBfazKey6_kN81Dmnc4FK8yBrLIzDFVcrYiHRyvTjvzTybWv0YWWdJYXsxkgKrOREUjnuSrDD6NPvMrekT93FBoFDle0T4UfIe_AOaUilV9WOiBSb/s320/Phrenology1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248266958537012786" border="0" /></a>Let's take a closer look at that <a href="http://sminthophile.blogspot.com/2008/09/how-long-are-your-fingers.html">last post</a>. The person who wrote the UPI piece didn't interpret the <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0003216">original paper</a> the same way I did. The finger measurement they were using was the ratio between the length of the index finger (2D) and the ring finger (4D).<br /><br />Since as early as the 19th century<span style="font-size:85%;">(1)</span>, people have noticed that men tend to have a lower 2D:4D ratio than women. Since then the ratio has been <a href="http://www.anthrosource.net/doi/abs/10.1525/aa.1888.1.1.02a00040">linked</a> to a variety of sexual, psychological, and behavioral traits. The number tends to be lower for men, for people with greater athletic prowess, assertive women, engineers, mathematicians, and <a href="http://www.unl.edu/rhames/courses/readings/homofinger/homo_finger.html">lesbians</a>. So they call a lower number a "masculinized" 2D:4D ratio.<br /><br />But it's different in mice. Mice with a HIGHER ratio are more aggressive, more likely to bite when handled, and have a higher daily level of activity.<br /><br />In the study cited here, the investigators selectively bred mice to be more active; they selected the mice that liked to run in their wheels more and bred them to each other. Then they measured their fingers. Voila. They had a HIGHER 2D:4D ratio.<br /><br />So does this mean that finger length has any biological implication for behavior, physical prowess, or sexuality? Here's what the authors said:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Given the many factors that have the ability to affect digit ratio, it is clearly more complicated than a simple testosterone-driven manliness metric."</blockquote><br /><br />I couldn't have said it better. Yeah, there might be some hormonal thing going on, but as it stands, it's no more scientific than trying to guess what's going on in a person's head by mapping the bumps on the skull.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(1) <a class="ref" href="http://www.anthrosource.net/doi/abs/10.1525/aa.1888.1.1.02a00040">Anthropological Notes on the Human Hand</a><span class="art_author"> Frank Baker </span></span><div class="art_meta"><span style="font-size:85%;">American Anthropologist Jan 1888, Vol. 1, No. 1: 51–76.</span></div>Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-74240473683294251432008-09-18T11:43:00.000-07:002008-09-18T12:01:06.305-07:00How long are your fingers?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgliFVMPmizZQigIxSdAsyHmh8_YjyJWeY9_Cs1Fn1sgMa1Mw1-Gx8WJWbmDacIzOvt99l9UuzlZ9PewQHhPxdRlNmmPs-k40PLWfvKX3KVTeoB9Ha-ItJb1MdJDE-4t7kWsxd-jcgJTXm4/s1600-h/mouse+digits.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 248px; height: 249px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgliFVMPmizZQigIxSdAsyHmh8_YjyJWeY9_Cs1Fn1sgMa1Mw1-Gx8WJWbmDacIzOvt99l9UuzlZ9PewQHhPxdRlNmmPs-k40PLWfvKX3KVTeoB9Ha-ItJb1MdJDE-4t7kWsxd-jcgJTXm4/s320/mouse+digits.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247434160068849314" border="0" /></a>From <a href="http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2008/09/17/Finger_length_linked_to_desire_to_exercise/UPI-87901221629389/">UPI.com</a>:<br /><blockquote><h1 style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Finger length linked to<br /></span></h1><h1 style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">desire to exercise</span></h1><span id="intelliTXT" style="margin: 0pt; line-height: 22px;font-size:100%;" >EDMONTON, Alberta, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Canadian and U.S. researchers say there is a direct correlation between the length of fingers and being motivated to hit the gym. <p>Researchers at the University of Alberta and University of California-Riverside, who conducted a study using 1,000 white mice, said the findings seem to support a stronger connection between digit length, voluntary exercise and high levels of prenatal stress hormones -- indicated by the difference in activity level between the control mice and the selectively bred, active mice.</p> <p>The study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, suggests prenatal stress, rather than prenatal testosterone levels in the womb, forms a component of the inherent desire for physical activity.</p> <p>"The research shows a link, or relationship, between the brain, behavior and personality traits and the shape of the hand," lead researcher Peter Hurd of the University of Alberta said in a statement. "It opens the door to the notion that aspects of one's personality, in this case the desire to exercise, are fixed very early in life. </p></span></blockquote><span id="intelliTXT" style="margin: 0pt; line-height: 22px;font-size:14;" ><p></p></span><a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0003216"><br />Here's the actual paper</a>, from which the above photo was lifted.Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-22026644452085842382008-08-27T11:42:00.000-07:002008-09-03T17:54:17.972-07:00The language of adolescent miceDifferent inbred strains of laboratory mice interact differently, suggesting a role for genetics in social behavior.<br /><br />They may also speak a different language.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0000351#pone-0000351-g006">This paper</a> examined behavioral differences between two common strains of mice during adolescence. In the wild, when young mice leave their mothers and head off on their own, they may do so in groups, and the social interactions between individuals in those groups may have survival advantages. The young mice also need to establish territory and find mates. In the study, adolescent C57BL/6 mice had more social interactions than age-matched BALB/c mice. The differences became less pronounced as the mice matured.<br /><br />The investigators analyzed the mouse vocalizations, even the ones too high for the human ear to detect. (Remember the<a href="http://sminthophile.blogspot.com/2007/08/old-song-and-dance.html"> singing mice</a>?). Vocalization was correlated with social interaction; the socially interactive C57BL/6 mice were more talkative than their BALB/c peers. The C57BL/6 mice also tended to make shorter, higher pitched vocalizations than BALB/c mice.<br /><br />The investigators found modulations in pitch within each vocalization that reminded me of my disastrous attempt to learn to speak Chinese with all its inflections; upward, downward, complex.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKCB4u2QtyOBjQ6_Ukw9MIsc4_S4MSBaaPT4X5MdOrYSRO_HR5kKLox6KUkcmWgIHfPGJEEOvqiiE0sVs4WeVYQJWY2pUqzuOnrlTo_ItEJodmv2CUKg7JP5p-w-1-Ubf0AezmAutz6W76/s1600-h/800px-Chinese_Wikipedia's_Main_Page_screenshot.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 359px; height: 236px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKCB4u2QtyOBjQ6_Ukw9MIsc4_S4MSBaaPT4X5MdOrYSRO_HR5kKLox6KUkcmWgIHfPGJEEOvqiiE0sVs4WeVYQJWY2pUqzuOnrlTo_ItEJodmv2CUKg7JP5p-w-1-Ubf0AezmAutz6W76/s320/800px-Chinese_Wikipedia's_Main_Page_screenshot.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239272966642682514" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This study also found that the two strains differed in the ways they modulated their vocalizations. For example, BALB/c mice were more likely to use upward modulation and C57BL/6 mice were more likely to use downward modulation.<br /><br />I wonder if everything the BALB/c mice had to say sounded like a question.Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-22073630305922447152008-08-24T18:03:00.000-07:002008-08-24T18:27:56.398-07:00Upcoming eventsNow that the Olympics are over, I thought some of my loyal readers would be interested in competitive events to be held in the near future:<br /><br /> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black;">6 September: <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">London Championship Show</span>,</span></strong> Rivermead Leisure Centre<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black;">20 September: <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Annual Cup Show</span>,</span></strong> St Christophers Church Hall<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black;">12 October: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Peterborough Agricultural Show</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black;">25 October: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Swindon Mouse Club</span>, Hermitage Village Hall <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black;">1 November: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Greater Manchester Mouse Club</span>, Methodist Church<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black;">22 November: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Yorkshire Mouse Club</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black;">21 December: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Stafford Poultry Show</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> These events are under sponsorship of the <a href="http://www.nationalmouseclub.co.uk/home.html">National Mouse Club</a>. Although the phenomenon peaked in the Victorian era, fancy mice are alive and squeaking. <a href="http://sminthophile.blogspot.com/2008/02/original-sminthia.html">As I have posted previously</a>, fancy mice--mice bred for mouse beauty pageants--were instrumental in the <a href="http://www.hhmi.org/genesweshare/d110.html">introduction of mice into biomedical research</a>. In fact, mice of the common breed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C57BL/6">C57BL/6</a> are direct descendants of fancy mouse number 57.<br /><br />I'd love to attend the December 21 show, if only to see why the National Mouse Club would sponsor a poultry show.Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-22440116796970811622008-08-15T15:37:00.000-07:002008-08-15T15:41:02.487-07:00Mouse MouseWhen I'm cruising the web for blog fodder, I'm often confronted with the "other kind" of mouse. You know, the kind that makes your cursor move around. Well, <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Mouse-Mouse%21/">here's how</a> to marry the two concepts. Mind you, it's a little gruesome.Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-15302536776904895082008-08-14T12:05:00.001-07:002008-08-14T12:39:15.629-07:00Really big rodentsOK, it's not even September yet, and the scrabbling in the walls has started. Maybe the mice know something we don't know about an early winter.<br /><br />At least it's not rats. I remember seeing some really big rodents hanging around the dining hall dumpsters in college. I'd hate to have those scrabbling in the walls.<br /><br />If you want to see some really really big rodents, you need to get away from mice and rats and look at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capybara">capybaras</a>, which can weigh up to 140 pounds. Imagine the holes this guy could chew in your walls:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhje4xYIVYdN-meDpxBtpOFmjXXgKzchdzeSHZTjN3Qo81lQde7hQWRHcYhsc0aFHomNlA05TdcJ5ZZvPX5vzMuh1g3Jlp7VIdtpmu1v-mN4wz9V8aGPgypToT01nmNdK2r-ymsfacIMcTZ/s1600-h/capybara.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhje4xYIVYdN-meDpxBtpOFmjXXgKzchdzeSHZTjN3Qo81lQde7hQWRHcYhsc0aFHomNlA05TdcJ5ZZvPX5vzMuh1g3Jlp7VIdtpmu1v-mN4wz9V8aGPgypToT01nmNdK2r-ymsfacIMcTZ/s320/capybara.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234453200801003586" border="0" /></a><br />For some really really really big rodents, we can look to the fossil record and find <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080116-giant-rodent.html">Josephoartigasia monesi,</a> which had a 21-inch skull and could have weighed as much as 2,200 pounds:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsq7qcLYaCPqMlO9alCjVfEAXoBnFUiaBkTtZcqQ1-DxJlMIp88m2y17Klf1SVh2c7AXzgHFC6C3bgamcURszmWAiNwzGRn5LxlpeNtGcIq5Qsq1_m2Ps7kVYMELOsdDgp96Y6U4gebOo/s1600-h/Josephoartigasia_monesi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsq7qcLYaCPqMlO9alCjVfEAXoBnFUiaBkTtZcqQ1-DxJlMIp88m2y17Klf1SVh2c7AXzgHFC6C3bgamcURszmWAiNwzGRn5LxlpeNtGcIq5Qsq1_m2Ps7kVYMELOsdDgp96Y6U4gebOo/s320/Josephoartigasia_monesi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234451765441598738" border="0" /></a>I don't think these things would scrabble in the walls. It would probably be more like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT1bPn-29XQgrS7zOW3hcQp04Y-JcvIbxFJ6Emt_TF3WptFKBuN3iTx6eTmKwJJFjuX929ItVI-d_RMSlBNFPIHa0-JJxViWgtJ0ilb1FKFkdo3FQeETNA5fUIojaMf927q9EtrIXn3ojX/s1600-h/Demolitonofbarn.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT1bPn-29XQgrS7zOW3hcQp04Y-JcvIbxFJ6Emt_TF3WptFKBuN3iTx6eTmKwJJFjuX929ItVI-d_RMSlBNFPIHa0-JJxViWgtJ0ilb1FKFkdo3FQeETNA5fUIojaMf927q9EtrIXn3ojX/s320/Demolitonofbarn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234459377336458450" border="0" /></a>Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-89980592419109585212008-08-04T13:38:00.000-07:002008-08-04T13:42:32.022-07:00Guns don't kill people...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKwCNQkTd2DaA6ylif2nne2jlSIMozFSTri7_B_wK0faPDGAglg_fdOl7tmHpr8yFJwGrBVjqcBybFD5cVdrLarsIysjoNhtyWdPaAdyOVur-jr1CfYQAN4SuiFt26V9uu9j_MJzBXzZD/s1600-h/mouse_gun.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKwCNQkTd2DaA6ylif2nne2jlSIMozFSTri7_B_wK0faPDGAglg_fdOl7tmHpr8yFJwGrBVjqcBybFD5cVdrLarsIysjoNhtyWdPaAdyOVur-jr1CfYQAN4SuiFt26V9uu9j_MJzBXzZD/s320/mouse_gun.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230765013735278962" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />From foxnews.com:<br /><h1 class="head"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></h1><blockquote><h1 class="head"><span style="font-size:85%;">Woman Shoots Herself While Trying to Kill Mice</span></h1> <span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"><p><strong>POTTER VALLEY, Calif. — A Mendocino County woman who was trying to kill mice in her trailer with a gun ended up shooting herself and another person.</strong></p> <p>The 43-year-old woman pulled out her .44-caliber Magnum revolver after she saw the mice scurrying across the floor of her trailer on Highway 20 in Potter Valley, sheriff's officials said.</p> <p>But she accidentally dropped the gun, which went off as it struck the floor. The bullet went through the woman's kneecap, bounced off the keys sitting on the belt loop of a 42-year-old man in the trailer and grazed the man's groin before ending up in his coin pocket.</p> <p>Authorities did not release the shooting victims' names.</p> <p>The mice escaped the shooting unharmed.</p></span></blockquote><span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"><p></p> </span><br /><blockquote></blockquote>Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462926183530543929.post-2084822613442231722008-07-26T13:02:00.001-07:002008-08-04T14:20:35.723-07:00Fly through a mouse brain!<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5CLBiRSfq4mNgvLag65YSy9l-XGeFP66ZmiYnwRVUYf8dl7KnBqcpOIjq78bqxEt7RlY7WxGhOHjJBXvIsF3_bO7RxIRUlUHtWCMslK6mvU5EbR-__Rts0Z4Pko0YkCzF_zwhWTreBSz/s1600-h/Mouse_brain.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5CLBiRSfq4mNgvLag65YSy9l-XGeFP66ZmiYnwRVUYf8dl7KnBqcpOIjq78bqxEt7RlY7WxGhOHjJBXvIsF3_bO7RxIRUlUHtWCMslK6mvU5EbR-__Rts0Z4Pko0YkCzF_zwhWTreBSz/s320/Mouse_brain.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227416081870025122" border="0" /></a>What do you do when you want to see what is inside a mouse's head?<br /></div><br />In the past, you had to:<br />1. Find a mouse.<br />2. Kill said mouse.<br />3. Remove brain (the mouse's, not your own).<br />4. Fix brain (even if it wasn't broken to begin with) in formaldehyde or some other chemical.<br />5. Embed brain in wax.<br />6. Cut brain into teeny tiny slices.<br />7. Try to get one of those slices to sit flat on a slide.<br />8. Stain the brain slice.<br />9. Look at it under an expensive microscope.<br />10. Try to figure out what you are looking at.<br /><br />Now, through the wonders of modern Interwebology, you need not go through the toil and trouble and smell. Now we have <a href="http://www.mbl.org/">The Mouse Brain Library</a>. For the librarians among my loyal readership, this is not the kind of library where you walk through the stacks until you find a brain on the shelves that might look interesting, then check it out with your library card.<br /><br />No, indeed. This is the kind of library that lets you look inside a mouse's brain without leaving the comfort of your favorite coffee shop. You can even watch <a href="http://www.mbl.org/movies/movies.php">movies</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mbl.org/movies/MRIMovies/BXD5HorHigh.mov">Here's</a> my favorite. It's a trip through a mouse head, starting at the top and going down. This one shows structure of the surrounding head, as well as the brain. The nose is to the right and the back of the head is to the left. You can see the eyes, white circles at the top and bottom of the image. Between them lie the olfactory bulbs, responsible for smell. (The sense of smell that is. The smelliness comes from the other end of the mouse.) You can also see the spiraling chambers of the nasal cavities.<br /><br />And that ends our tour through a mouse's head. I hope you enjoyed it. Watch your step as you leave the tour bus.Sminthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09524106045781152121noreply@blogger.com