Birds Hiss Like Snakes to Protect Nests
Certain cavity-nesting birds emit a surprising hiss-like vocalization to deter predators and repel competitors from trying to occupy the same nesting cavity. It’s been hypothesized that that this hiss mimics a snake hiss – but is it a case of mimicry or evidence of widespread fear of hisses?
Read my latest Animal Minds post: Birds Hiss Like Snakes to Protect Nests.
Gene Therapy for Rare Disorders
After decades of promise tempered by setbacks, gene therapies are nowbringing new treatment options for a variety of inherited and acquireddiseases.
Recently, clinical trials at the NIH Clinical Center and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have shown that gene therapy can safely correct the immune systems of children born without critical infection-fighting cells. These successes are the result of safety modifications and improvements in gene transfer efficiency and delivery fueled by basic science research. Now, as clinical progress in the field rapidly grows, gene therapies are beginning to benefit those with inherited immunodeficiencies, blood disorders, blindness, neuromuscular disease, and more.
Read my story at IEEE Pulse: Advances in Gene Therapy Offers Hope for Rare Disorders.
Empathy as a 'Danger Antenna' in Rats
Rats are social animals, exquisitely attuned to the emotions of the rats around them. In a new study published in PLoS Biology, researchers from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience show that rats may use this sense of empathy as a way to gauge danger.
Read the whole story at my Animal Minds blog: Empathy as a 'Danger Antenna' in Rats.
These Fish Navigate with Electricity
In my latest Animal Minds post, I take a look at some research with the African elephant-nose fish - an animal that uses self-generated electricity to navigate.
Read the article here: These Fish Navigate with Electricity.
Goliath Frog Parenting
Researchers describe the first example of nest-building in an African amphibian, the Goliath frog, and suggest it's why they grow so gigantic.
Read my latest Animal Minds post: Giant Frogs are Attentive Parents.