Pocket gophers serve as 'ecosystem engineers'
...hat gophers have an energetically "expensive" life habit in which burrowing through the soil costs 360 to 3,400 times as much energy as walking the same distance on the surface. To keep up with this output they consume large amounts of vegetation, primarily roots, which significantly impacts plants. "Excav...Highlights of the October 2003 Journal of the American Dietetic Association
...ion watching has led researchers to factor in this habit when addressing the obesity epidemic especially among children. According to researchers at the University of Minnesota, television and video watching among both boys and girls is linked to increased consumption of soft drinks, fried foods and snacks......e regular tobacco users each day. Many take up the habit believing that if they stop at a relatively young age there will be no long-term adverse consequence to their health. Unfortunately, these same young people are unaware that cigarette use has been linked to insulin resistance and insulin-dependent g...Innovative research with pythons offers new insights into the body's digestive processes
...ese python (Python molurus) and its unique feeding habit of eating at infrequent intervals (several times a year), on large meals (often exceeding the creature's body mass), are associated with large intestinal responses. Specifically, within 24 to 48 hours after eating, the python experiences a 2.5 fold-...Mouse genetic model for spongiform brain diseases
...skers and slightly curly body hair, as well as the habit of clasping their hind feet together when lifted off the ground. Normal mice tend to splay their legs straight out when they are elevated, Gunn explains. Furthermore, this form of neurodegeneration is not known to be contagious, Gunn says, noting: "...Rare Asian dolphin threatened by human activities
...r beluga whale, are beloved by fishermen for their habit of working cooperatively to drive fish into range of throw nets. Smith is hopeful that the dolphin's popularity and value to fishermen as a living resource will facilitate a site-based conservation program that would work to eliminate threats and pr...Invasive species: Those who live together invade better
...fely, or whether the ants are exhibiting a general habit of covering and exploiting long-lived food sources, remains unstudied. The mealybugs do appear to add to the success of the ants however. Using previous studies of other ant-aphid relations, Helms and Vinson determined approximately how much honeyde...Hibernators may hold the key for better human organ preservation
...ough a problem for groundskeepers because of their habit of digging holes, soon they could be famous for providing clues to keeping life-saving human transplant organs viable for extended periods of time. Background Like bears, hibernating ground squirrels annually undergo a dramatic shift in their physi...Researchers discover clues to whale evolution
...s or abilities (like the brain and upright walking habit of man) provide mechanisms by which highly evolved organisms dominate in certain environments. The semicircular canals sense head movements and this vital information is used to coordinate the body during locomotion. This happens subconsciously,...Study finds new reason for smokers to keep this unhealthy habit away from infants/children
...nt reason that smokers should keep their unhealthy habit away from children and infants. Further research is required to understand precisely what role this protein plays in surfactant production and utilization, and to determine exactly how its expression is effected by cigarette smoke exposure.......fectiveness may well relate to the bottom-dwelling habit of carp, and be less of a deterrent to native fish which swim more freely the open water. It is this demand for selectivity that makes the application of these deterrents so challenging. The researchers have also been developing an electronic dete...Gene link to increased risk of coronary heart disease found by scientists
...remature death in the UK. We know that kicking the habit can be hard, but everyone who stops smoking will see the health benefits, whether they have an inherited risk factor or not....Rum and 'coke' combo far worse on the brain, study shows
...ganizing," says Bolla. "Those with a heavy cocaine habit have less ability to concentrate and score higher ...tists could show how the degree of a person's drug habit relates to brain performance. For both cocaine and alcohol, she adds, the greater the weekly drug am...Brain neurochemicals, not gender, tell a female to act like a female
...larged reproductive organs; and the type II males' habit of sneakily fertilizing eggs left for the type I males. Also attracted to all the singing, grunting and sexual shenanigans are opportunistic biologists, eager to analyze an animal system with a third, intermediate gender -- the type II males -- and......withmedicinal value for decades, the rapid loss of habit in many areas has given anew urgency to the search. Also, there is a new emphasis on developing sustainable harvest practices for local species as a way to strengthen the economies of the countries where the plants grow naturally. Decades ago, some d......atest laboratory tests confirm the dwarf branching habit ofthe poinsettia is caused by a type of bacteria called a phytoplasma. Althoughhighly unusual, its effects are spectacular in this plant." Here are some additional poinsettia tips from the Plant Doctors this holidayseason: Remember to keep your p...