Scientists have taught mice to smell an odour that doesn’t exist in order in a study to show how the brain identifies different scents. In experiments on mice, US neuroscientists generated an electrical signature that was perceived as an odour in the brain’s smell-processing centre, the olfactory bulb. Because the odour-simulating signal was handmade, researchers … Read more
A breakthrough that led to the creation of new neurons in mice could be used to transplant brain cells in Parkinson’s patients and cure them of the disease. University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers created neurons in mice using a new, much simpler method that involved rewriting genes. Parkinson’s disease is characterised … Read more
Scientists have grown hair on mice using human stem cells in a possible step towards curing baldness. US scientists said they’ve created skin organoids – tiny tissue cultures – from stem cells in a lab dish. These can generate into multi-layered skin tissue with hair follicles, sebaceous glands and neural circuitry when cultured for four … Read more
Tom and Jerry have been at it for millennia! First domestic cats appeared in Europe almost 10,000 years ago as mice spread across the continent, study reveals Cats may have been domesticated to control the spread of mice, a study finds Mice grew along with agriculture, cities and trade and domestic cats followed The house … Read more
Lockdown showdown! Mice have a vicious battle on a deserted London Underground platform Suzanne Lord recorded the clip on an empty platform at a tube station in London The two tiny challengers stand perfectly still as they stop to size each other up Begin to do battle as they roll across the ground before scampering … Read more
According to Chinese data, one in five patients with COVID-19 may be ill enough to need medical intervention. For the rest with symptoms, the best medication could be ibuprofen and paracetamol, as this controls fever and pain. In order to help rebuild the immune system post-virus, experts recommend antioxidants which can be obtained from a … Read more
Giving a mouse a piece of Cheddar cheese makes it smile – and pleasure is just one of the emotions the rodent can express on its face, according to a new study. Mice, like humans, have facial expressions that can reveal their emotional state, according to researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology. The … Read more
Streets up and down Britain are littered with rubbish just one week into lockdown, with bin men off sick, waste collections scaled back and families unable to eat all the food they stockpiled. Several local authorities have stopped collecting food and garden waste because so many bin men are self-isolating. Residents are being told to … Read more
Diabetes drug metformin alleviates anxiety in mice ‘by increasing levels of the feel-good chemical serotonin in their brain’ People with type 2 diabetes are at higher risk of depression but it is unclear why Previous studies suggest the mechanisms for creating serotonin are blocked In a mouse study, scientists released the block with metformin and … Read more
Eating flour made from passionfruit peel ‘may stop mice from getting fat’ as scientists say it may also counteract the damage of a bad diet Mice gorged on fatty foods for 10 weeks, half of which also had passionfruit peel The mice had a 14% difference in weight and 22% difference in body fat The … Read more