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.
A Major Milestone in Cystic Fibrosis Treatment
A Phase III clinical trial shows that elexacaftor added to ivacaftor and tezacaftor improves lung function and quality of life in cystic fibrosis patients with the most common genetic mutation, F508del. The triple therapy, known as Trikafta, could effectively treat 90 percent of people with cystic fibrosis.
Read the whole story at Pediatrics Nationwide: A Major Milestone in Cystic Fibrosis Treatment.
Delay of Gratification in Kids and Crows
One measure of self-control is the ability to delay gratification; namely, the ability to wait in order to obtain a more valuable outcome in the future over a less valuable immediate one. In children, the capacity to delay gratification develops between the ages of three and five years old. In a new study, researchers used a rotating tray apparatus that allowed them to test both three- to five-year-old children and New Caledonian crows.
Read my post about it on my Animal Minds blog: Delay of Gratification in Kids and Crows.
Vaping Guidelines
Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration(FDA), state and local health departments, and public health andclinical partners are looking into a multistate outbreak of lung injuryassociated with the use of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette), orvaping, products.
Now, a report by a working group of experts offers guidance to health care providers caring for patients with EVALI (e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury).
See that they say in my latest research summary for Pediatrics Nationwide: Health Care Leaders Offer Interim Guidelines on Vaping, EVALI Care.
Dogs Demonstrate Episodic-Like Memory
In humans, episodic memory refers to the recall of a specific autobiographical event – a memory of what happened, where it happened, and when it happened. It was initially assumed that episodic memory is unique to humans, but more recent evidence has brought that assumption into question.
Although we can’t know whether an animal travels back in time in their mind to subjectively remember specific events, like humans do, experiments have revealed memories for what-where-when in animals such as birds, rats, and nonhuman primates -- and now a new study suggests dogs should also join the club.
Read the whole story at my Animal Minds blog: Dogs Demonstrate Episodic-Like Memory.