For females of many species, choosing a mate is a weighty decision. You want your offspring to inherit the best possible genes. But how do you judge the genetic quality of a potential mate? In a new paper, researchers tested female preference for symmetric males in fruit flies— with a few key innovations.

Read the whole story at The Scientist: The Sex Appeal of Symmetric Songs.

I have two new articles published at Pediatrics Nationwide:

• A multicenter analysis of nearly 50 pediatric hospitals showed that newborns are commonly treated with nephrotoxic medications and, troublingly, the prevalence of acute kidney injury is higher in newborns treated with these drugs. The authors say the findings demonstrate the need for initiatives to reduce nephrotoxic medication exposure in very young infants. Read the story here: Nephrotoxic Medications in the NICU.

• With advances in chemotherapy and radiation, more children are surviving cancer and entering adulthood. However, a potential consequence of such treatments is fertility impairment. The fertility program at Nationwide Children’s was established in 2015. In 2018, Nationwide Children’s hired a full-time fertility navigator, a certified pediatric nurse practitioner with a background in oncology and training in oncofertility. Read the story here: Fertility Navigators Support Important Consultations in Pediatric Settings.

The first report of a dog alerting its owner of disease, published in 1989, described a dog that persistently sniffed and bit at a mole on its owner’s leg, which turned out to be a melanoma. That raised the idea that cancer, and other diseases, might be detectable by smell, and that dogs could be used as diagnostic tools. In a new review paper, researchers evaluated studies where dogs were used to detect diseases affecting humans, other animals, and plants. Dogs show potential for disease detection but more research is needed to understand how and where they could most effectively be deployed.

Read the whole story at my Animal Minds blog: Can Dogs Sniff Out Disease?

Researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital report proof-of-principle results for a new gene therapy cancer treatment. The off-the-shelf, single-dose immunotherapy serves as an alternative to CAR-T therapy and can be engineered to be on-demand.

Read more at Pediatrics Nationwide: A Single-Dose Cancer Immunotherapy via Gene Transfer.

Citizen scientists in the UK have documented common toads in tree cavities and nest boxes up to nine feet off the ground. How, and why, they got there remains a mystery.

Read my latest Animal Minds post: Tree-Climbing Toads Surprise Scientists.