Category: Animals
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Pets Didn’t Make People Happier During Pandemic
Most people agree that having pets can make you feel good. But a Michigan State University study showed that owning a pet doesn’t necessarily make you happier, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research, detailed in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, looked at 767 individuals three times in May 2020. Using both numbers and…
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Beavers Can Really Help Improve Water Quality
The dams that beavers build may help protect water quality and the local ecosystem according to a recent study. That is the conclusion of a new study by Stanford University scientists and colleagues, publishing Nov. 8 in Nature Communications. The research reveals that when it comes to water quality in mountain watersheds, beaver dams can have a far…
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Fatty Acids on Your Skin Can Make You a Mosquito Magnet
Fatty acids emanating from your skin can make you a magnet to mosquitos, according to researchers. In the three-year study, eight participants were asked to wear nylon stockings over their forearms for six hours a day. They repeated this process on multiple days. Over the next few years, the researchers tested the nylons against each…
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Bears May Really Be Omnivores
A new study shows that bears are omnivores like human, and feeding them like carnivores may slowly kill them. Carnivore like cats consume a high-protein diet. The researchers in the study said bears eat more of a lower protein diet like omnivores. In zoos, feeding bears as carnivores may be slowly killing them. In separate…
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This Spider Wears a Coat of Air to Hide Underwater
There’s a spider in the tropics that can hide from predators by staying underwater for up to 30 minutes.
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Omitting ‘Mice’ From Study Title Can Lead to Misleading Media Coverage
Research papers that do not mention that their studies were done in mice can lead to misleading media coverage.
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Scientists Get Lemurs to Hibernate in Captivity
Lemurs rarely hibernate in captivity. Scientist at the Duke Lemur Center has been able to get the fat-tailed dwarf lemur by mimicking seasonal changes in the lemurs’ indoor enclosures. By studying hibernating animals like these lemurs, researchers may unlock the secrets of hibernation and apply them to to humans. Fat-Tailed Dwarf Lemur The fat-tailed dwarf…
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Young Monarch Butterflies Get Stressed Out From Human Handling
Young monarch butterflies can get stressed out by people handling them, according to a study. This is especially so for the early stages of the larva (caterpillar) and the pupa (chrysalis) of the butterfly life cycle. Researchers at the University of Georgia published this finding in March 16, 2020 edition of The Journal of the…
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Exercise Rejuvenates Muscle Stem Cells in Older Mice
Exercise in older mice rejuvenated their muscle stem cells, and in effect, enhanced their muscle-repair capability. This rejuvenation effect was seen only in older mice and not in younger mice that exercised. The findings were made by researchers at Stanford University and published in the April 13, 2020 issue of the journal Nature Metabolism. Significant…
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City Dogs More Fearful Than Country Dogs, According to Study
Dogs living in urban environments have more social fearfulness than their cousins in rural areas. These finding was made by researchers at the University of Helsinki and published in the journal Scientific Reports. Excessive Fearfulness a Behavioral Problem Fear helps animals survive in threatening circumstances but when it is excessive, it becomes a behavioral disorder.…