http://www.aardvarks2zebras.org Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:57:20 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en There's not much in life that's more comforting than a warm, fuzzy dog.  In addition, they seem to know when we need their comfort. Fortunately, more and more dogs are being used for therapy to help people through tough situations. For someone testifying in court about a traumatic experience, it can ... http://www.aardvarks2zebras.org/one-health-news/dogs-and-order-sdu/ The whole "dogs are color blind" myth was disproved quite a while ago, and now science shows that chickens and other birds may have better color vision than people do.  It may be due to evolution - as birds evolved, they spent more time in sunlight than most mammals did ... http://www.aardvarks2zebras.org/todays-headlines/chicken-soup-for-colds-chicken-eye-research-for-blindness/ Depending on the breed, dogs can have 6-13 major blood types.  Compare that to the 3 major blood types in people! http://www.aardvarks2zebras.org/did-you-know/918/ Pets for Vets is one of several non-profit organizations that matches veterans with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) or other war-related disorders with homeless pets.  They've found that pets help these veterans better cope with their problems as well as providing that unconditional love that pets do so well.  To read ... http://www.aardvarks2zebras.org/one-health-news/ptsd-prescription-get-a-pet/ ...they affect people, too.  We're not just talking about zoonotic (pronounced "zoo-oh-NOT-ik") diseases, which can be passed from animals to people - we're talking about diseases that can wipe out an entire family's (or community's) source of self-reliance and income.  A disease like foot and mouth disease, which caused billions ... http://www.aardvarks2zebras.org/todays-headlines/animal-diseases-dont-just-affect-animals/ Gene therapy helped monkeys grow bigger muscles, and this finding may lead to new therapies to help people with muscular dystrophy.  A protein called myostatin puts the brakes on muscle growth, and stopping the action of myostatin lets the muscles grow – much in the same way that letting off ... http://www.aardvarks2zebras.org/todays-headlines/muscle-bound-monkeys-could-help-cure-muscular-dystrophy/ ...even if you're a cat.  Just like people, pets need dental care to keep their teeth healthy.  Pets can develop tooth and gum disease that can cause tooth loss, pain and problems with eating.  Keep their teeth healthy and you'll help them live a longer, healthier life - everyone wins! February ... http://www.aardvarks2zebras.org/todays-headlines/dog-breath-is-no-laughing-matter/ Every dog owner likes to think their dog is smart, but how smart are they?  Scientific studies show they’re smarter than we used to think.  Research has shown that dogs can learn 165-250 words, signals or signs.  The scientists put dogs’ intellectuality on the level of a 2 to 2 ... http://www.aardvarks2zebras.org/one-health-news/doggy-geniuses/ Regenerative medicine is the study of methods that can help regrow a damaged limb or organ, and it has always seemed like science fiction…until recently, that is.  Scientists at the Salk Institute have found one of the clues to the puzzle.  They’re studying zebrafish, which can regrow their tails, to ... http://www.aardvarks2zebras.org/todays-headlines/regrowing-limbs-science-or-science-fiction/ As if you need another reason to not smoke, or to quit smoking, San Diego State University researchers have found that the chemicals in cigarette butts and filters can leech out into the water and kill fish.  When you consider that cigarette butts are the most common ... http://www.aardvarks2zebras.org/one-health-news/no-more-butts/