A new paper published in Current Biology suggests a novel twist on an old saying: Instead of "monkey see, monkey do," the paper proposes "chimp see, chimp pee." Well, not in so many words. But the study, which involved 20 captive chimpanzees at the Kumamoto Sanctuary at Kyoto University, does suggest that when one chimp urinates, others urinate too. “In humans, urinating together can be seen as a social phenomenon,” said Ena Onishi, a study author and a doctoral student at Kyoto University, ...read more
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are called “miracle drugs” by some pharmacists for their ability to help those with diabetes to lose weight. The drugs are self-injected once a week and help simulate hormones that slow digestion and curb appetite.
While physicians are seeing some positive health effects from these drugs, there is still little data on how they may impact the body in the long run. However, a new study published in the journal ...read more
Oysters have long been considered an aphrodisiac. Now, the mollusk might be tapped to fight infectious diseases.A study shows that proteins in the blood, or hemolymph, of a Sydney Rock Oyster not only kills bacteria but boosts some antibiotics’ efficacies against several resistant strains, according to a study in PLOS ONE.The finding is important because, although antibiotics have helped people fight infectious diseases since the early 20th century, their misuse has created strains of bacteria ...read more
Geophysicists have found sunken worlds in the Earth’s mantle — the planet’s bulky middle layer — that, according to both earlier imaging and understanding of plate tectonics, simply shouldn’t be there.When neighboring tectonic plates continue their slow-motion collision, sometimes one subducts, or slides underneath the other, often leaving geological remnants behind. Now, new imaging techniques have revealed similar leftovers far from tectonic boundaries. Geophysicists detected these s ...read more
In the unlit depths of the ocean, where food is scarce, and chance encounters are rarer still, anglerfish have evolved one of nature’s most bizarre mating approaches. When a male anglerfish finds a partner, he doesn’t just court her — he attaches to her body, sometimes fusing with her for life. This extreme adaptation, known as sexual parasitism, helps ensure reproductive success in a world where mates are few and far between. And recent research published in Current Biology has taken anot ...read more