29 March 2011 - Bullied Mouse Braaaaiiiins

I reserve the right to skip blogging for the next few weeks if:

• I wind up getting that wrist surgery I desperately need
• There is not time for at least four hours of sleep
• I'm rushing through several weeks of material to pass the last couple of weeks of class I have left
• I'm out of town (a-freakin-gain)

Hilariously, that means I might not be blogging much.  But every morning that I can, I will!  Yaaaayscience.

No really, ya can't make this up.  I currently have enough obligations in my life to keep a small village busy and I'm searching for change in the couch to fill my gas tank (how do I manage to be in a different town one-two times a week when I work every single night?  Hey, overtime will cover it, right?  Right?  RIGHT??)

Enough of that.  Y'all have your busies, too, and that's why I do this thing!




Today's post is on mouse brains.


It seems like basic logic that a mouse who is bullied learns to be more cautious around new mice, but there's more to it than that.  Mice were placed in with bigger, meaner mice for ten minutes (I breed mice, and this makes me cringe to think about - they don't need that ten minutes to kill each other if they're serious!), then separated but left close enough to still induce stress.  They then tried placing the mice with larger, but nonthreatening (how do they figure...) mice and noted behavioral changes consistent with fear, anxiety, and cautiousness.  They then checked out the brain and noted that they had a markedly higher sensitivity to vasporessin, an important hormone associated with the behavior (and other behaviors, including in people).

Mice that were given vasopressin blockers showed less of the wary behavior when placed in with the nonthreatening mice.

You know, I am absolutely FOR using animals in labs.  I believe we have excellent standards in place by IACUC and have seen firsthand how strict the inspections are.  But man, the mouse breeder in me just really knows how serious male aggression in mice is.  They don't need ten minutes, man.  In an enclosure with little or no cover, they can rip each other right apart.  It's like cichlids.  Just, yipes.

What I'm REALLY curious about is how they tested with "non-threatening" mice.  One assumes, based on the territorial statement in the article, that the mice being tested are male.  Females can be aggressive but this is pretty rare and short-lived as they sort out a pecking order in the colony.  So if you're putting in nonthreatening mice to examine followup behaviors, how do you get a nonthreatening mouse?  It has to be male, or you have to take into account sexual hormones.  It has to be a nonfamiliar mouse or you have to take into account imprinting and familiarity, which can also incorporate hormones and scent.  So you have to have a completely new, male mouse.

Just how do you plan on getting new mouse not to attack?  Eh, I know there is a lot more going on than the summary shows, but I would LOVE to read the actual paper.  Alas, I have only access to the abstract.  :)






See you guys soon!
-Miss Mouse






References and Links:
Mouse Bullies (Physorg):
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-bullying-brain-chemistry-anxiety.html

Mouse Bullies with Bigger Words (ScienceDirect):

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T0P-52C3K4S-2&_user=10&_coverDate=03%2F11%2F2011&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=gateway&_origin=gateway&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=b963eecbd72b883ea4fa2181c97afa12&searchtype=a

Nope

I am just gonna keep on being lame until...oh...Thursday?  Or Friday.  Reason?  My second round of exams, a project, a few writing assignments, and all the non-school things that life throws atcha.

Sorry, guys.  I gotta prioritize this week.  :(  There's been a lot of espresso.  A looooot of espresso.  I'll tweet when I can but mostly I'm gonna be nose-in-the-books.

-Miss Mouse

15 March 2011

I'm sorry.  I started to research for this post, but I simply can't.

This morning my rat passed away.  My fiance found her dead in her cage on our way out the door to deliver the rescued puppy to his new home two hours South.  It hailed on us halfway to our destination with rains so heavy we could barely see the road, let alone other cars.  Upon being given the chance to explore his new backyard once he arrived, in only sprinkling rain, the puppy chose to hide fearfully underneath a trailor, too low to the ground and muddy for us to get under it and pull him back out.  Then it started to pour.

We finally got puppy out, dried off, and left with his new home and drove back to town.  We had to scrape together pocket change to make the trip thanks to gas prices and our own not-so-fortunate situation.

I arrive at work at 11 PM like usual, pull up my homework, and discover who my group members were for our online group project.  I then discover they did the majority of the thing a week early and have since assumed I'm not participating.

Then I get three texts from my mother - one that the rabbit I've had since I was a little girl (he's old like crazy) hasn't been able to get up or eat for the past three days and will only take water out of a spoon.  The other two texts were picture messages of my dying pet.  He will be put to sleep in the morning if he survives that long.



I'm so sorry I'm such a bummer tonight guys.  I simply cannot pull my mind together enough for Science today.  I promise this isn't going to be another indefinite break - I will be back at 6 AM tomorrow, provided my house doesn't burn down and I don't get in a horrible car accident.

-Miss Mouse



P.S. - About a zillion other people are having way worse days than me right now, so if you have ten dollars you can part with, hold off on the pizza with extra anchovies or whatever the heck your vice may be for one more paycheck, and consider donating to those affected in Japan right now.  If you know someone over there, remember that not hearing from them doesn't necessarily mean anything - communication is pretty tough to manage right now.

Probably the easiest way to donate is by texting REDCROSS to 90999.  You'll get a $10 donation on your phone bill.  Voila.  Even if you need every cent you have like me, go walk the parking lot in front of your grocery store.  Betcha can find enough change to toss into the cause.  :)

14 March 2011 - Mousey Smells

Hey you know that stuff that was keeping me busy this weekend?  Well, it went from a guy who scared the crap out of it to a very loving, quiet, happy home, and is being dropped off there in the morning.  :)

Lately, that's pretty much what I do.

Oh yeah, and twittering might be lax between now and Wednesday evening thanks to a fresh bout of tests being launched on me during the period of time most students are using to drink their livers rotten catch up in their studies.  So I'm sorry...priorities, ya know.  Posting shall continue, though.



Today's story is aboot mouse noses.  Baby mouse noses.  Because nothing could be more adorable (unless you hate mice).

You might already know that much of how young mice recognize each other (well really, recognize any other mice) is by smell, but it turns out this isn't already set up before they are born.  It takes a little while for the neurons in their noses to mature enough to identify mom as mom, and siblings as siblings.  It's probably the olfactory marker protein (OMP) that causes this essential development to occur.

In normal mouse pups, the choice to nurse/snuggle with mom won out 78% over that of another lactating female, but in mouse pups with no OMP, they failed to make the distinction at all.  Cool, right?  I know not everyone is thinking "man, that is really useful information for when I have a litter of orphaned mouse pups and need to find an appropriate foster mother that won't eat them that they'll actively nurse from," but it is an important point of development for more than just mice.  I wasn't under the impression that human infants identified mom by smell, though, but I do know that smell is an extremely important influence on people of any age and, thanks to conditioning, is an excellent way to trigger memories.

...Maybe this is why mom's cooking is always best?

Or maybe it's just interesting.



See you guys tomorrow,
-Miss Mouse



References and Links:
Wiggly baby mouse nosies
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-mouse-nose-nerve-cells-mature.html

No Weekend Wrap-Up

I'm sorry guys, I can't squeeze in a weekend post this time.  Something came up:

Be back Monday morning, bright and early!!

-Miss Mouse

11 March 2011 - I'll Take a Super Awesome Latte, Please

Normally I absolutely detest studies and articles based solely on "linked."  "Link found between," "blah and blargitty may be linked," "Is such linked to and-such?"  Those headlines drive me bonkers.

Any scientist will tell you that a LINK means nothing.  Maybe if you mean between two genes, sure, but if your link is noticing that people who breathe also take showers you may be missing something.  I liked this article, though, so I'm sharing it.

It's about coffee (and now you know why I like it).  I am only a little ashamed.

For aboot ten years, researchers monitored a group of about 35,000 women (a little less, actually) and their coffee intake.  They looked at several other factors and adjusted for them, with a result that women who drank very little or no coffee at all experienced a higher chance at having a stroke.  I am extremely hesitant to believe a study like this (because SO many factors can mess it up, like I mentioned before), but it's nice to hear good things about coffee.  Guess we better keep an eye on that bit about Colombian coffee being hit hard by the heat and weather!

The article mentions that it's too soon to go chugging coffee just because of their results.  If you're like me, though, you don't need a reason!



-Miss Mouse



References and Links:
Coffee Beats Up Strokes:
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-coffee-linked-women.html
Colombian Coffee Yields Dropping; Thanks a LOT, Weather:
http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/peak-coffee/

10 March 2011 - Anxious Meeces

It's no secret that I love mice.  I loooove mice.  Mice are amazing, useful, and interesting creatures.  It's always nice to see research done with them because it almost always directly applies itself to understanding them better, and not just whatever was being researched.  I am always game for learning more about mice.

So anyways - scientists found that while mice are normally very hesitant about wandering out into open spaces where they could be nabbed by a predator, this fear can actually be manipulated.  They targeted specific connections in the amygdalae of the brain (or between them, I believe), which when increased in activity caused the mice to become bolder and venture out.  When dampened, however, the mice became more anxious and stuck more frequently to the walls.  Basically, controlling this portion of the brain's activity allowed researchers to adjust the amount of anxiety the mice experienced.

Tye_Deisseroth_Supplementary Movie from Deisseroth Lab on Vimeo.

The implication of course is that anxiety in people can one day be similarly treated.  We're still quite a long way from that, but it's an interesting observation that will definitely lend itself to the study of anxiety, which in people is currently extremely difficult to treat!



-Miss Mouse



References and Links:
Mouse Braaaaaiiinns:
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/70833/title/Anxiety_switch_makes_mice_shy_no_more

9 March 2011 - Checkin' Out ADAM

I wanted to make an Adam and Eve joke, or a bioshock reference, but I am so not witty tonight.  Blargrarrgragurgle.

SO.  ADAM-12 is a gene which is normally only slightly active in adults.  It goes up in people who have cancer and some other problems, or normally when a person is pregnant.  Scientists noted that in normal people an inhibitor is present to keep ADAM-12 down (or in parts of the body where less should be present, such as in pregnant women), so they're hypothesizing that with a little more research, an inhibitor or some kind of co-factor that goes along with ADAM-12 could be the answer to controlling the spread of cancer and other problems.  It kinda makes sense, they just gotta figure out how it works and what is causing the change.  For now we know ADAM-12 plays a role in keeping cells together, so it's a good lead.

Personally I'm not real positive they're looking at a cause so much as just another symptom, but I look forward to hearing what they find out!  In the meantime, it just strikes me as "hey we noticed something!  *Looks closer*  Now what does it mean?"  If they can figure it out, though, it'll be another great addition to the ever-gaining-momentum race to cure cancer!  :)

-Miss Mouse



References and Links:
It can also be...an arthritis cure:
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-adam-gene-key-cancer-arthritis.html

8 March 2011 - More Movie References!

One o' these days I'm gonna get my butt sued.  In the meantime, I'm just going to post another story that got my attention - and immediately triggered a memory from my childhood:

Remember when Luke got his hand chopped off and all they had to do to fix it was robotically attach a prosthetic hand?  Yeah.  That was awesome.

Well, in today's story, UCLA did something just as awesome - a hand transplant.  It was only the thirteenth in the US and only four hospitals in the nation do it.  Okay, when I say it like that it doesn't sound that impressive, but think about it - they attached a whole new, live, real hand from a donor to a recipient, who had lost her hand five years before.  It took 17 people and 14.5 hours, and they're using the surgery and recovery for data that can apply to several different things, including keeping the body from rejecting it, where in the brain controls what hand movements, etc.

I would be especially interested to hear how function in the hand goes - they mention reattaching muscles and vessels and whatnot, but what about nerves?  Will they be able to feel the hand?  Feel things WITH the hand?  I don't know, but I'm psyched about finding out.


-Miss Mouse



References and Links:
"Luke, I Am Your Father... but I'm Not Donating My Hand to You":
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/574161/

7 March 2011 - It Came from Outer Space

I think when I expected to write a blog for Monday morning that more would have happened on the weekend.  So today we have an article about possible aliens in meteorites.  And by "aliens" I mean bacteria.  Still exciting, but uninterested in Reece's Pieces.

A fella from NASA with an extensive resume of poking bacteria (see article) cracked open a few meteorites and published his very interesting findings Friday.  That paper explained fossilized bacteria he had found inside that he believes originated off-planet.  Obviously this is causing a big stir and a lot of reviews, in addition to re-raising the argument on the origin of life and cells as we know them.  I will be excited to see how it turns out!  Numerous experts/professionals have been invited to review the paper, and I foresee a lot of passionate critiques in both directions.

Photo from article, copyright PNAS

-Miss Mouse



References and Links:
Aliens in Rocks
http://topicfire.com/share/News-Flash-NASA-Scientist-Solid-Evidence-of-ET-Fossil-Life-in-Meteorite-Fragment-16997301.html

6 March 2011 - Weekend Wrap-Up

Hey guys!  I gotta write this one REALLY fast.  I'm about to head out for an 8 hour drive, so it counts as a busy day!  :)  It's also shorter than it should be, I'm sorry.  I'm literally about to rush out the door!

Nifty Stories from This Week

I really like the mind-control, I mean memory enhancing or erasing, story from a couple of days ago and I'd love to highlight that one.  By controlling an enzyme in rat brains, one can either enhance or get completely rid of a memory, no matter how long it's been since that memory was initially formed.  This has the initially obvious uses like helping people with anxiety problems, recovered memories, loss of memory, etc., but if you ask me, points directly toward this:

Second for today is a particularly creepy article about four new species of fungus found in the Brazilian rainforest.  You know that parasite that gets into an ant's brain, makes it walk up to the top of a blade of grass, and forces it to wait there to be ingested?  This is kind of like that, except these fungi turn the ants into zombies, makes them crawl onto some kind of vegetation above the forest floor, locks their jaws onto the plant/thing, and sprouts out of the back of their neck to release spores that fly off into the sunset.  Holy ew.



Okay, I gotta run!!!  See you guys tomorrow!

-Miss Mouse



References and Links:
Memory Zapper:
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-enzyme-erases-long-term-memories-rats.html
Zombie Ants:
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-parasitic-fungi-ants-zombies.html

4 March 2011 - Making Blood Cells Too Hoss for HIV

Yesterday it was all about luring viruses into trap protocells.  Welp, today it's all about treating/preventing HIV infection by beefing up the blood cells.

Also it appears that while the metaphor for other viruses is apparently bees that can only sting you once, the metaphor for HIV is apparently a seemingly friendly Avon salesperson who asks to enter but is actually a vampire and rips your cell's head off.

The article for today explains that a new genetic treatment takes typically infected cells (juicy-looking unsuspecting citizens who open their doors at the stroke of midnight), and alters them so that the means by which HIV usually enters them is no longer available, via causing it to remove the gene for it (convinces said citizen to take down the whole door and build a wall where it used to be).  Then, when HIV comes a-knockin', it can't be let in.  Trials seem to be a success, with the cells multiplying in the body a year later (...then a whole neighborhood was built with no doors and the HIV vampire starved to death?).



Hey, this one-story-a-day thing and wrapup-on-the-weekend thing seems to be working out a lot better for me.  I'm even getting stories written early, and that's never happened before!  Let me know what you guys think!

-Miss Mouse



References and Links:
Beefy Blood Cells Keepin' Out HIV
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20928023.300-genetic-treatment-closes-door-on-hiv.html

3 March 2011 - Winnie the Pooh Lays the Smackdown on Viruses

Or at least his honey pot does.  Or cells they're calling honey-pot cells.  Same diff.

They're actually artificially designed cells made to appear like delicious virus targets.  However, since viruses can only infect a cell once, by attacking the decoy, fake cells, they then become inactive.  The researchers tested their "honey pot protocells" by using virus particles altered to cause infected cells to fluoresce, thereby visually showing the near-100% success rate.  They're hypothesizing that since this uses the virus's own mode of infection, viruses will be less likely to "grow immune" to the cells.  Clever, ya?  Details at the link!

-Miss Mouse



References and Links

Honey Pot Virus-Killas:  http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/574035/

Let's Try Something New, Shall We?

If you're reading this, you're basically a wonderful person for stickin' with me.  My life's been upside down, sideways, and really tangled lately!  My goal with this blog was to be a reliably up-to-date news source on all worlds of Science, for all those interested in Science.  I don't feel like I meet that goal when I only post every month or two, so I want to try something new out and see if I can make the time for it.

Twitter will go on as usual.  My favorite part about this is being able to offer those headlines sooner than other sources, and immediately on the site without having to wait to post a full blog.  That part's a success and shall continue.  Each week day, however, in the morning, I'll sum up just one very interesting article from the day before.  That's a lot easier on me because I sleep in the day when the Science is happening, so I don't get a chance to read and report on all of it until the evening and early morning hours.  Wake up to Science.  Dig it?

Each Saturday, the hope is to write a longer, normal post wrapping up other big stories from the week.  Kinda like how my posts have been up until now - between three and five awesome stories from all different fields and sources.  Like I said - headlines will continue as usual on Twitter (right-hand side of the page), so you won't miss a thing during the week!

Let's see if I can pull that off, ya?  I'll already be on blogger once a day anyways to update the Pet-of-the-Day on my vet techy blog over here.  Totally doable.  Come on, lady, YOU CAN DO IT.



SO.  Today's story!

Tooooxoooplasmoooosiiiisss...

Is one of my favorite diseases.  Ebola is my most favorite, but Toxoplasmosis is one of those ones that comes up quite a bit when you work with cats!  In any case, researchers studying it have demonstrated that the "centrocone" behaves as a "master organizer" of other "chromosomes," illuminating the "processes" involved in "parasitic" cell "division."  "."

Actually this is very cool.  All chromosomes remained bound by the spindles even when not actively dividing.  This is especially interesting because those cells probably behave differently during different life cycles of Toxoplasma gondii.  Not only does this advance our understanding of Toxoplasmosis, which affects millions of people and is frequently symptomless BUT can cause severe birth defects, BUT it also carries over to other organisms like Malaria.  Read the full article below!



-Miss Mouse



References and Links:
Toxoplasmosis & Chromosomes:  http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-previously-unknown-role-cell-division.html