Tag Archives: fish

After “freezing” in fear, what part of the brain helps make fish swim again?

Baltimore, MD — The brain is the body’s mission control center, sending messages to the other organs about how to respond to various external and internal stimuli. Located in the forebrain, the habenular region is one such message-conducting system. Two new papers from Carnegie scientists explain how the habenulae develop and their unsuspected role in recovering from fear. (more…)

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Clever Fish Keep Cool

PORT ARANSAS, Texas — Ocean warming is occurring at such a rapid rate that fish are searching for cooler waters to call home.

A group of international scientists has new evidence that coral reef fish – which struggle to adapt to the warmer ocean temperatures brought about by global climate change – may instead opt to relocate to cooler parts of the ocean.  (more…)

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Was Fische dazu treibt, die eigenen Eier aufzufressen

Tübinger Forscher untersuchen den Einfluss individueller Eigenschaften von männlichen Strandgrundeln auf ihr Verhalten beim Brutkannibalismus

Viele Tiere unternehmen große Anstrengungen, um ihrem Nachwuchs das Überleben zu sichern. Dennoch fressen bei manchen Arten die Eltern regelmäßig einen Teil oder sogar alle ihrer eigenen Nachkommen auf. Dafür lassen sich nicht immer äußere Faktoren wie etwa eine plötzliche Nahrungsknappheit ausmachen. Brutkannibalismus ist daher ein rätselhaftes Phänomen. Nun sind Martin Vallon und Dr. Katja Heubel vom Institut für Evolution und Ökologie der Universität Tübingen Beobachtungen nachgegangen, wonach Wesensunterschiede zwischen Individuen bei brutkannibalistischen Arten eine Rolle spielen könnten. Sie untersuchten an Strandgrundeln, einem bis zu sechs Zentimeter langen Meeresfisch, wie sich männliche Individuen bei der Brutpflege gegenüber ihren Eiern verhalten: Die in der Fachzeitschrift Ecology and Evolution veröffentlichten Ergebnisse lassen die Vorhersage zu, dass unter gleichen Umweltbedingungen generell aktivere Individuen auch mehr Eier aus ihren Gelegen fraßen. In einer zweiten Studie, die in der Zeitschrift Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology erschien, stellten Vallon und Heubel fest, dass Strandgrundelmännchen in einem gemischten Gelege mit jüngeren und weiter entwickelten Eiern deutlich mehr jüngere, weniger wertvolle Eier fressen. (more…)

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Best Acne Eluding Diet

Think pimples are something just teenagers get?  If you say yes, then you are incorrect. More than 20 percent of women/men suffer from acne late into their twenties and thirties. Acne is an inflammatory skin condition, caused by the production of excess sebum, which clogs the pores and leads to pimples. Breakouts can occur all over the body, but are most commonly found on the face, back and chest. The cause could be anything from stress to hormonal fluctuation and more.

Over the counter products and antibiotics for clear skin are such a pain in terms of money and time. Many of them turn out to be harmful instead of being beneficial. So what is that harmless way to save us from acne breakouts and it’s after effects? (more…)

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Plastiktüte, Plastik und ihre Alternativen

In Europa wird der herkömmlichen Tüte der Kampf angesagt – zu Recht

Plastiktüten haben unendlich viele Aufgaben: Von der Mülltüte über die Einkaufstragetasche oder die Schulbrottüte bis hin zum europaweiten Symbol für Verschwendung und überflüssigen Müll. Ihre Stärken sind Stabilität, Haltbarkeit und ein geringes Gewicht. Diese sind jedoch zugleich auch ihre Schwäche: Landet die Kunststofffolie in der Natur, verbleibt sie dort jahrzehntelang und wird zur Gefahr für Tiere und Menschen. Die konservativste Schätzung geht davon aus, dass jede/r Deutsche fast 70 Tüten im Jahr verbraucht – hier sind Obstbeutelchen, Abfallsäcke und zusätzliche Verpackungsfolien nicht mitgerechnet. (more…)

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Discovery of new fossils reveals key link in evolution of hind limbs

Researchers have discovered well-preserved pelves and a partial pelvic fin from Tiktaalik roseae, a 375 million-year-old transitional species between fish and the first legged animals, which reveal that the evolution of hind legs actually began as enhanced hind fins. This challenges existing theory that large, mobile hind appendages were developed only after vertebrates transitioned to land.

The scientists describe the fossils in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, online on Jan. 13. The piece marks the inaugural article for Prof. Neil Shubin, Robert R. Bensley Distinguished Service Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, as a member of the National Academy of Sciences. (more…)

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Mercury levels in Pacific fish likely to rise in coming decades

ANN ARBOR — University of Michigan researchers and their University of Hawaii colleagues say they’ve solved the longstanding mystery of how mercury gets into open-ocean fish, and their findings suggest that levels of the toxin in Pacific Ocean fish will likely rise in coming decades.

Using isotopic measurement techniques developed at U-M, the researchers determined that up to 80 percent of the toxic form of mercury, called methylmercury, found in the tissues of deep-feeding North Pacific Ocean fish is produced deep in the ocean, most likely by bacteria clinging to sinking bits of organic matter. (more…)

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Top Diet Programs for Weight Loss

Most people today look at diet plans to help them lose weight; however, these plans can also serve other purposes such as keeping heart disease and diabetes at bay. With all the different diet plans on offer, choosing the one that is right for you can be a tough job. Take a look at these plans that were evaluated by health experts and received high rankings in a recent survey by U.S. News, and make your decision.

The Mediterranean Diet

Like the Mayo Clinic Diet, the Mediterranean Diet plan helps to achieve and maintain a healthy weight and also prevent or control diabetes, brain and heart disorders and even cancer. Drawing inspiration from the diet of people in the European countries around the Mediterranean Sea, this diet focuses on eating more of nuts, herbs and spices, whole grains, vegetables and fruits, seafood and fish, and cutting down on red meat, saturated fat foods and sugar. With its emphasis on mono- and polyunsaturated fats and avoidance of saturated fat, this diet is effective at reducing bad cholesterol and keeping blood pressure low. Although it is one of the top diet programs, the only possible weakness lies in the fact that the plan is not a structured one and so, the onus lies on you to come up with a calorie chart to follow. (more…)

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