Of Mice and Men and Medicines

Mice seem to be quite similar to humans in showing signs of either autism, depression or schizophrenia. The neuroscientist Elissa Chesler, studies mice at the Jackson Laboratory where she realizes their peculiar actions. She studies several pictures of mice to then realize they are showing signs of a disability. The scientist came to realize that letting mice be mice can lead to better health treatments for humans suffering of a mental illness.

Climate Shift Could Leave Some Marine Species Homeless

A new study shows that the temperature rises are causing species to look for alternative habitats. The study compared rising temperatures of both land and sea in various places over a 50 year period. Both in land and in the sea, species tend to move as temperature increases in a certain area. Unfortunately, some species will be left with no where to go since the rising temperatures are affecting enormous areas. Sooner or later, more species will go extinct not being able to adapt to a changing climate.

Nicotine Causes Epigenetic Changes in Mice that Spur Cocaine Addiction

Many have wondered if smoking can lead to the use of other drugs. Trying to prove this statement, epidemiologists have done an experiment using mice. They began by giving mice nicotine to later on determine the effects of exposing them to cocaine. They then noticed that mice who had been given nicotine for more than a day would come back to where they had received cocaine. On the other hand the mice that had only received nicotine for one day did not do this as frequent. This demonstrated the addiction habits that nicotine can cause, therefore being a gateway to other drugs.