When a blue whale washed up on the shores of Newfoundland in 2014, it was a rare opportunity for scientists to learn more about the largest animal on Earth. However, preserving the heart of the whale posed a unique challenge. The heart of a blue whale can weigh over 200kg and is roughly the size of a small car. Yet, mammalogy technicians at the Royal Ontario Museum were able to … [Read more...] about How Scientists Preserved a 200kg Blue Whale Heart
Scientists
Scientists Successfully Grow Mini-Antlers on Mice Heads Using Deer Cells: A New Path for Regenerative Medicine?
Maybe they could give us all wings next? In a new study, scientists have successfully grown "mini-antlers" on mice heads by implanting deer cells. This breakthrough research provides a glimpse into how mammals can regenerate cells, and could potentially lead to new regenerative medicine therapies for humans. Antlers are one of the fastest regenerating tissues in the … [Read more...] about Scientists Successfully Grow Mini-Antlers on Mice Heads Using Deer Cells: A New Path for Regenerative Medicine?
Scientists Revive ‘Zombie Virus’ Which Was Frozen Under Permafrost For 48,500 Years
How about NOPE?! 😲 Scientists are worried that a ‘zombie virus’ which spent 48,500 years frozen in permafrost in Siberia has been revived. French scientist Jean-Michel Claverie tested earth samples taken from permafrost to see whether any viral particles it contained were still infectious. He managed, in 2014, to revive a virus isolated from the permafrost, making it … [Read more...] about Scientists Revive ‘Zombie Virus’ Which Was Frozen Under Permafrost For 48,500 Years
Newly Discovered Gold-Throated Hummingbird Hybrid Stuns Scientists
In a surprising discovery, scientists have found a new hybrid species of hummingbird with never-before-seen characteristics. The hybrid bird has a gold-colored throat and is believed to be a cross between two species of hummingbirds - the Amazilia luciae and the Amazilia tzacatl. The new species was discovered by Alejandro Rico-Guevara, a biologist at the University of … [Read more...] about Newly Discovered Gold-Throated Hummingbird Hybrid Stuns Scientists
Scientists Accidentally Discover Weight Loss Therapy After Mice Start Sweating Fat From Their Skin
Accidental discoveries have led to some of the greatest scientific breakthroughs in history, such as penicillin. And it seems that researchers from the University of Pennsylvania may have stumbled upon a new weight loss therapy purely by chance. While initially seeking a treatment for type 2 diabetes, the team found that a cytokine called thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) … [Read more...] about Scientists Accidentally Discover Weight Loss Therapy After Mice Start Sweating Fat From Their Skin