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Tag: animal behavior

Science with Nemo: Ethics of Care in Animal Research

Posted December 19, 2020 by Chloe Holden, Lana Ruck and Jennifer Sieben

[animated GIF of seven tropical fish of various kinds, who are all in plastic bags, floating in the ocean. The image captions one fish, speaking, who asks the group, “Now what?”]

We are all familiar with the plot of Finding Nemo: a scuba-diving dentist takes a small clownfish, Nemo, from a reef, keeps him in a fish tank in his office, and Marlin (Nemo’s father) goes on a whirlwind adventure to rescue his son. Obviously, Disney’s creative fiction is just that — fiction. However, many millions of fish are kept in tanks in the real world, for both recreation and research. Although we cannot know the fate of home-kept fish, for fish used in scientific research, there are specific rules for ethical treatment and proper care for fish of all kinds. How and why do scientists use fish in research anyways? 

Animals play a key part in concussion research

Posted October 10, 2020 by Gabriel Nah

[ ]

Currently, there are no effective treatments for concussions. People typically heal over time. Doctors treat the symptoms (e.g.. headaches, concentration problems, trouble sleeping, memory), but do not tackle the actual problem (i.e., how the injury affects certain functions of the brain). This is due to the inability to see what is happening to the brain as it receives a concussion. Because of that, researchers use animal models (e.g., lab rats, mice, etc.) to assess how the brain is affected by concussions.

Ethics in Research: What is the IACUC?

Posted May 16, 2020 by Chloe Holden

[Picture is Kanzi, a male bonobo, participating in a touchscreen research task investigating syntax processing in great apes]

The Animal Welfare Act of 1966 was brought about by two major media publications. In Sports Illustrated, Pepper, the Dalmatian, had disappeared from her family’s front yard, only to have been found at an east coast hospital and after having been euthanized, following an experimental medical research study involving an early model of a pacemaker. Pepper had been snatched from her owner’s front yard, and then sold for use in medical research, all without their knowledge…

What’s it like to work with primates? Interviews from the Ape Initiative

Posted March 28, 2020 by Chloe Holden

[Bonobos in an outdoor enclosure, with several platforms, ropes, and other objects to simulate a more natural environment. ]

In this post, ScIU blogger Chloe Holden interviews staff members at the Ape Initiative in Iowa. She covers topics like: What is it like working with nonhuman primates on a regular basis? What surprised you the most when you were getting to know the bonobos? What’s your favorite part about working with the bonobos? and others…

You’re not too important to pick up poop: The quirks and perks of working with primates

Posted March 21, 2020 by Chloe Holden

Pictured are the seven bonobo residents of the Ape Initiative. Starting in the top left to right is Kanzi, Maisha, Elikya and Nyota. The bottom row from left to right is Mali, Clara, and Teco.

[Pictured are the seven bonobo residents of the Ape Initiative. Starting in the top left to right is Kanzi, Maisha, Elikya and Nyota. The bottom row from left to right is Mali, Clara, and Teco.]

For the past three and a half years, I have been volunteering at the Ape Initiative as part of my research interests in primatology and cognition research. The Ape Initiative is a non-profit research and conservation facility that is home to 7 bonobos (Pan paniscus) and counting! Bonobos are one of the closest living relatives to humans, sharing about 98-99% of their DNA…

World Elephant Day

Posted August 10, 2019 by Chloe Holden

A herd of African elephants walks across the savannah at the Mpala Research Centre in Kenya. There are five adult females and six offspring.

World Elephant Day, coming up on Monday, August 12th, was established in 2012 as a way to celebrate these wonderful mammals and promote conservation efforts. There are two main genus’ alive today: the African elephant (Loxodonta) and the Asian elephant (Elephas). The African elephant genus is split between two species the African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana)… Read more »

The early bird gets the worm, part II: How behavioral ecology is connecting the dots between early-life stress and aging

Posted May 28, 2019 by Kat Munley

A young bird is perched on top of a person’s fingers. The bird has white feathers on its abdomen and gray feathers on its back.

This is the second post of a two-part series on a day in the life of a behavioral ecologist, which features the stories and research of members of Dr. Kim Rosvall’s laboratory in the Department of Biology. Click here to read the first post of the series! In Part I of this series, I discussed… Read more »

The early bird gets the worm, part I: What can behavioral ecology tell us about female aggression and its underlying mechanisms?

Posted January 22, 2019 by Kat Munley

One adult bird in the background is chasing another bird in the foreground mid-air near a single wooden bird box attached to a metal pole. The bird in the background is arching its body and extending its legs towards the bird in the foreground, and the bird in the foreground is glancing at the other bird over its right shoulder. Both birds have white feathers on their abdomens, with iridescent green and blue feathers on their heads, necks, and backs.

This post is the first of a two-part series on a day in the life of a behavioral ecologist, which features the stories and research of members of Dr. Kim Rosvall’s laboratory in the Department of Biology. When most people imagine a scientist, they picture a person wearing a stark white lab coat and thick-rimmed… Read more »

How cutting edge technology can help us understand animal migration

Posted September 4, 2018 by Abby Kimmitt

Two undergraduates are working on the device they created to measure the cardinal direction of flight of a moth. One undergrad is adjusting the moth attached to the device; the other undergraduate is checking the computer to make sure it is ready to record data

Scientists have long been interested in understanding animal migration, but gathering migration data proved difficult in the past. For example, the process of catching and recapturing migratory songbirds using mist nets is a laborious process. In the past, recovering songbirds produced data only about the breeding location and their migration destination, and rarely about the migration itself.  Studying… Read more »

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