Monthly Archives: October 2009

Wilbur to the rescue

October 15, 2009 | Editor | Leave a comment

It can be a bit of an ethical dilemma for a vegetarian.  Avoiding meat is a personal choice for some but meat-producing animals may still be an important part of a vegetarian’s life.  Recently, a vegetarian teenager in Scotland was implanted with a pig heart valve to save her life.  It probably won’t affect her diet, but it serves as a reminder of how animals can benefit our lives in so many ways.

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Excuse moo!

October 13, 2009 | Editor | Leave a comment

Methane is considered a “greenhouse gas” that contributes to global climate change, and our poor mooing friends have been made scapegoats in global politics. Purdue University researchers want to know just how much methane cows produce when they burp and fart.  Although it might not be the most pleasant-smelling job out there, it could help us make changes that can help our environment.

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Fish going green?

October 9, 2009 | Editor | Leave a comment

You won’t be replacing light bulbs with them, but some energy-conserving South American fish might provide some insight into the workings of our nervous system, heart and muscles.  These fish actually alter their cell membranes to conserve energy when they’re resting.  The process their bodies use is very similar to the processes used in human and animal bodies.  By studying this process in the fish, researchers hope to gain some insight into the cause of some types of heart disease as well as nervous system problems such as epilepsy.

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Run like the cheetah

October 9, 2009 | Editor | Leave a comment

You probably already know the cheetah is the fastest thing on four legs…but did you know that studying the cheetah’s running motion might help improve animal and human health?  The Royal Veterinary College in London is studying the cheetah’s run with high-speed cameras and force plates.  They hope their research will provide information that could not only improve horse and dog racetrack surfaces and increase human athletic performance, but also provide insight into treatments for cerebral palsy and making more functional artificial limbs.

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It’s just a frog disease…why should I care?

October 1, 2009 | Editor | Leave a comment

It’s more than a frog disease.  The chytrid fungus is attacking amphibians worldwide and severely decreasing their numbers.  A recent study showed the fungus has an even bigger effect on specific species of frogs, and this could lead to a loss of biodiversity.  Biodiversity is a fancy word that basically means a wide variety of species exist.  Just as we humans don’t all look alike or act alike or do the same things, so do frogs differ by species.  They eat different things and they live in different environments.  They have an effect on their environment, too—as we all do.  Plus, don’t forget that frogs are also food for some other species.  As frogs continue dying off from this fungus, which comes from the environment, the shrinking numbers of these amphibians will have a larger impact than you may realize.

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