Credit: iStock Zebrafish is a small tropical freshwater fish, named for their zebra-like stripes. Though tiny, this little fish plays a big role in biomedical research. It might surprise you that humans share about 70% of their genes with zebrafish. This makes the fish a powerful model for studying health and disease. Meet the zebrafish … Continue reading Gone Fishing for Signals in the Gut-brain Connection
Comparative Physiology
Nature’s Vampires: The Flying and Feeding of Bats
Credit: iStock/Wirestock October has taken the stage. The leaves blush red, pumpkins smile from porches and classic films retell the Slavic folklore of the night: vampires! Vampires may not be real, but their origins are linked to bats—one of the ecosystem’s most fascinating and spooky mammals. Bats are nocturnal mammals that evolved with powered flight … Continue reading Nature’s Vampires: The Flying and Feeding of Bats
Maybe Birds Need Sleep Masks Too
Credit: iStock/nicholas_dale Cities are getting brighter at night with well-lit crosswalks, sidewalks and paths through parks and wooded areas. Lighting can make it easier for drivers, bicyclists and runners to navigate the darkness safely. But increased lighting has unintended consequences for wildlife, including songbirds. Just like humans, songbirds are active during the day and sleep … Continue reading Maybe Birds Need Sleep Masks Too
Zebrafish Help Advance Physiology
Credit: iStock Zebrafish (scientific name Danio rerio) are freshwater fish native to South Asia that can be a little over half an inch to two inches long. About 70% of their genes share a common ancestor with our genes—even more if you look specifically at disease-causing genes. Like us, they have a spinal cord, eyes, … Continue reading Zebrafish Help Advance Physiology
St. Patrick, Leave Those Snakes Alone!
Credit: iStock Snakes don’t have the best reputation. Not only are they considered synonymous with “traitor,” but on March 17, folks around the world celebrate a man famous for driving the snakes out of Ireland. When it comes to science, though, snakes have a lot to offer. There are hundreds of articles about snakes published … Continue reading St. Patrick, Leave Those Snakes Alone!
2021’s Most-read I Spy Physiology Posts
Credit: iStock This year, as the pandemic continued, the lights of labs and classrooms switched back on as scientists and students returned to studying, working and researching in person. Our I Spy blog contributors wrote about a wide range of topics this year, including aging, the physiological effects of grieving, achieving optimal physical performance and … Continue reading 2021’s Most-read I Spy Physiology Posts
What Snoozing Seals Can Teach Us about Cardiovascular Health
Credit: Kaitlin Allen. Photo taken under NMFS permit #19108 Sleep apnea, which is thought to affect up to 1 in 4 adults, occurs when we briefly stop breathing while asleep. The brain senses the decrease in blood oxygen levels that occurs during the interruption and wakes us up so we’ll take a breath. Some of … Continue reading What Snoozing Seals Can Teach Us about Cardiovascular Health
Experimental Biology 2021: Q&A with Dr. Michael Tift and Anna Pearson
Credit: iStock APS member Anna Pearson, a graduate student at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), studies red blood cells in dolphins. She presented her work last month at Experimental Biology. Dr. Dolittle, the American Physiological Society’s comparative physiology blogger, chatted with Pearson and her mentor, Michael Tift, PhD, an assistant professor at UNCW. … Continue reading Experimental Biology 2021: Q&A with Dr. Michael Tift and Anna Pearson
Experimental Biology 2021: Q&A with Dr. Christian Damsgaard
Credit: iStock Experimental Biology (EB) is an annual flurry of science, collaboration and connection, and this year's virtual meeting is no exception. Dr. Dolittle, the American Physiological Society's comparative physiology blogger, caught up with Christian Damsgaard, PhD, of Aarhus University in Denmark, at EB to chat about his work with teleosts, a type of ray-finned … Continue reading Experimental Biology 2021: Q&A with Dr. Christian Damsgaard
Hibernation: Not Just for Animals?
Credit: iStock Why isn’t crawling into bed like a well-fed grizzly bear and sleeping away the world’s problems on our list of options for surviving life? I imagine my hibernation pod would be kind of like the COVID-19 pandemic’s “stay-at-home” orders, but with a lot more sleep and a lot less pizza delivery (though adequate … Continue reading Hibernation: Not Just for Animals?