New Atlas

Science Audio available

Enriched mouse house may make for happier lab mice – and scientists

Ben Coxworth March 7, 2019

If you want to study a mouse's behaviour, then perhaps it isn't best to grab it and put it in a setting where it has to perform a certain task. That's the thinking behind Autonomouse, a cage that's designed to make life easier for lab mice, and to produce better results in behavioural studies.

Autonomouse is claimed to be able run for over a year, with little human intervention

Science Audio available

"Game-changing" research could lead to novel treatment for osteoporosis in women

Anthony Wood January 18, 2019

Scientists have genetically engineered female mice to develop super strong, dense bones by altering neurons in the rodents' brains. The development could be the first step towards a novel treatment for the brittle bone disease osteoporosis in women.

The researchers hope that their work could be used to help combat brittle bone defects in ...

Medical

Cancer researchers unexpectedly discover natural anti-obesity protein

Rich Haridy October 29, 2018

While investigating a protein whose production is known to be elevated in a wide range of cancers, a team of researchers has inadvertently discovered a powerful new metabolic regulator that in early mouse experiments has reduced the animal's fat levels by a third.

Mice administered a natural protein were found to lose over one third of their fat with ...

Medical

Prenatal gene editing success lays path for treating congenital diseases in the womb

Rich Haridy October 8, 2018

In a remarkable proof-of-concept study, scientists from the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have, for the first time, successfully used CRISPR gene-editing technology on mice in utero, to prevent the animals being born with a lethal metabolic disorder.

A new technique successfully edited a single genetic mutation prenatally, resulting in healthy mice being born

Science Audio available

Anti-aging effects of compound in some fruits and vegetables verified in novel new research

Rich Haridy October 2, 2018

New research has revealed that fisetin – a natural flavonoid found in many fruits and vegetables – functions as an effective senolytic agent by clearing out damaged aging cells, improving health and extending lifespan.

Fisetin, a flavonoid found in many fruits and vegetables. may be an effective anti-aging compound

Biology

Herpes virus may boost immune system function in old age

Michael Irving July 8, 2018

It’s long been believed that cytomegalovirus (CMV) probably weakens the immune system in older people, but now mice tests have shown that the opposite is true – somehow, the virus gives the immune system a bit of a late-stage boost.

Contrary to assumptions, cytomegalovirus has been found to improve the function of the immune system in ...

Medical

Relieving constipation by shining light where the Sun don't shine

Michael Irving May 20, 2018

The field of optogenetics is all about using light to stimulate cells in the body. Now, researchers from Flinders University have used the technique to shine a light where the Sun don’t shine, stimulating nerves in the gut to relieve chronic constipation.

Shining light onto nerves in the gut could help relieve chronic constipation

Biology

Future anti-aging drugs could flip a "metabolic switch" to mimic fasting

Michael Irving May 8, 2018

Researchers from MIT have found that fasting for just 24 hours is enough to improve the regeneration of a person’s intestinal stem cells, which naturally declines with age. Better yet, with the metabolic switch identified, in the future the effect could be mimicked with a drug.

The regenerative capabilities of intestinal stem cells were found to be double in mice that fasted ...

Health & Wellbeing

Deletion of single enzyme stops mice getting fat, no matter the diet

Rich Haridy May 3, 2018

A new study has found a way to completely stop a body’s ability to store fat. In experiments with mice, researchers showed that genetically deleting a single enzyme resulted in the animal not being able to gain weight, even when fed a fatty diet.

Blocking a single enzyme in mouse models has been found to completely inhibit the animal's ability ...

Medical

Promising peanut allergy vaccine misdirects the immune system

Michael Irving April 11, 2018

Rresearchers at the University of Michigan have found a way to retrain the immune system to ignore allergens by developing a nasal spray that vaccinates against peanut allergies, with promising results in mouse tests.

A new nasal spray could help vaccinate against peanut allergies