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Mice

One-celled algae called diatoms are unique because their cell walls are made of transparent silica, like glass, allowing their internal patterns to be visible. Diatoms are key producers of atmospheric oxygen and uphold the aquatic food chain.

See 17 Intricate Microscope Photographs That Make the Miniature World Immense. They Won the Evident Image of the Year Contest

The sixth annual competition showcases scientific microscopic imaging, illuminating tiny parts of nature, from individual cells to arthropods, diatoms and a zebrafish brain

An illustration of an Alston’s singing mouse from the 1882 publication Biologia Centrali-Americana: Mammalia

These Singing Mice Squeak Back and Forth—and Don’t Interrupt. Scientists Found the Brain Pathway Behind Their Impressive Songs

Alston’s singing mice carry out complex vocalizations and even appear to converse politely with one another. The neural circuitry that makes this possible is simpler than researchers expected

Lung cancer cells, shown in green, growing in a mouse heart

Cancer Is Somehow Rare in the Heart. Turns Out, the Organ’s Rhythmic Beat Might Keep the Disease at Bay, a Mouse Study Finds

Less than 1 percent of cancers start in the heart, and disease that begins elsewhere seldom spreads to the blood-pumping organ. New research suggests mechanical force might have a protective role

An illustration of lymphocytes, or white blood cells in the immune system, which include T cells and other disease-fighting cells

You’ve Been Told to ‘Feed a Cold.’ Turns Out, Eating May Truly Boost Your Immune System Cells, According to a New Study

T cells, which target infection and disease, can become more effective after a meal. The finding might help improve cancer-fighting therapies and optimize our response to vaccines

Rats and other rodents have front teeth that grow continuously, so they gnaw to keep them healthy and in shape. 

Rodents Don’t Gnaw Just to Trim Their Teeth—It Also Feels Good, According to a New Study

The findings could help humans who grind their teeth or clench their jaws

Male African striped mice's parenting styles vary greatly: Some fathers groom and protect their pups from the elements, while others ignore or even attack their young.

Some Mice Are Doting Dads, While Others Ignore or Attack Their Offspring. Researchers Just Figured Out Why

In African striped mice, the activity of one gene can dramatically change a male’s parenting style, according to a new study

The mice spent about a month aboard the International Space Station.

These Space-Faring Mice Are Helping Scientists Figure Out How to Keep Astronauts’ Muscles Working Properly

A new study suggests a gravity threshold for maintaining muscle function

Estrogen may cause certain colon cells, shown in green in this microscope image, to release a hormone called peptide YY. This, in turn, causes a different type of colon cell, colored magenta, to pump out the chemical messenger serotonin, which activates pain-sensing nerve fibers.

Women Are More Likely to Have Irritable Bowel Syndrome. This Newfound Gut Pain Pathway Might Explain Why

The hormone estrogen—which female animals typically have more of than males—triggers a molecular cascade in the gut that leads to pain signals, a study in mice suggests

A rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus) in Hluhluwe, South Africa, performs a threat display. These snakes tend to live on the edges of human communities.

The High-Stakes Quest to Make Snakebites Survivable Took Leaps Forward This Year, With Promising New Avenues to Safer Antivenoms

A wave of fresh science is challenging a century-old treatment and offering hope to the people snakebites harm most—often far from hospitals and help

A Laysan albatross checks on its egg.

Stream the Beautiful Highs and Violent Lows of Albatross Life With This New 24-Hour Camera on Midway Atoll

You can see the large white seabirds dancing, preening, feeding and raising young—though the live feed might show a dark side of island living, too, with potential predation from invasive mice

Many rodents have nails on their thumbs and claws on the rest of their fingers. A new study suggests this trait might have been key to their world domination.

Rodents Conquered the World With the Help of Their Thumbnails, Study Suggests

The trait might have given rodents greater manual dexterity, allowing them to access new foods, such as nuts

A human embryo embeds itself into a fake uterus created by researchers.

See the First 3D Images of a Human Embryo Implanting, Shedding Light on the Crucial but Little-Known Process

A new study shows how human embryos reshape their environment by pulling on uterine tissue

A subset of more than 1,000 neurons, representing just a snapshot of the complexity mapped within a cubic millimeter of mouse brain tissue

In a World First, Researchers Mapped Part of a Mouse’s Brain in Incredible Detail. It’s a Leap Forward for Neuroscience

The 3D brain map includes more than 200,000 cells, 523 million synapses and over two miles of axons, representing the most detailed wiring diagram of a piece of mammal brain ever constructed

The mice were genetically engineered to have mammoth-like traits, such as thick, fluffy hair.

Biotech Company Creates ‘Woolly Mouse’ as a Step in Its Quest to Resurrect Woolly Mammoths Through Gene Editing

Colossal Biosciences leaders say the fluffy, golden-haired mice help validate their technique to “de-extinct” species, but outside scientists remain skeptical

Cells producing the NOVA1 protein are shown in green in the brain of a mouse. A specific variant of this protein is unique to humans, and researchers suggest it is linked to spoken language development.

Scientists Identify a Gene Linked to Spoken Language, and It Makes Lab Mice Squeak Differently

A new study suggests the unique human version of the NOVA1 protein developed after our ancestors split from Neanderthals on the evolutionary tree, and it might have given us a competitive edge over our relatives

A new study suggests lab mice will open the mouths and pull on the tongues of their unconscious companions.

Lab Mice Appear to Offer ‘First Aid’ Care to Their Unconscious Companions, Even Pulling on Their Tongues

A new study finds that mice will sniff, lick and pull the tongue of other mice that are under anesthesia, serving to open their airways

Mice have an instinctive reaction to hide when the shadow of a bird passes over. In a new study, scientists taught the rodents to overcome that fear.

How Can the Brain Overcome Fear? New Study of Mice Offers Clues to PTSD and Anxiety Treatment

Researchers identified two brain areas in mice that helped the animals learn to suppress their instinctive fears of predators

Elephants, bats, rabbits and other mammals have exceptional hearing—and their outer ears may be a key reason why.

Why Do Mammals Have Outer Ears? Scientists Are Getting Closer to Solving the Mystery

Two new studies offer insights into the evolution and development of external ears, which appear in humans and other mammals but aren’t found in reptiles, birds or amphibians

The glymphatic system moves a clear liquid called cerebrospinal fluid around the brain to flush out toxic proteins accumulated during waking hours.

In a Study on Mice, Scientists Show How the Brain Washes Itself During Sleep

The brain’s waste-removal process is “like turning on the dishwasher,” a neurologist says, but common sleep medications may harm it

Toxins from the Colorado River toad have been ingested by some for their psychedelic and medicinal effects.

A Modified Psychedelic Toad Toxin Reduces Signs of Depression and Anxiety in Mice, Study Suggests

Colorado River toads produce a psychoactive toxin that some have claimed has medical benefits. The new research suggests these benefits could be achieved without hallucinations

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