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Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Speaking of Science: Run, space mouse, run

Speaking of Science
Talk nerdy to us

Microgravity changes human behavior. Astronaut Chris Hadfield said he learned to speak differently because he became accustomed to speaking through weightless lips. Aboard the International Space Station, people have invented games impossible to play on Earth: NASA's Scott Kelly, for instance, once played a solo round of table tennis by slapping a floating ball of water between two paddles.

Humans share this trait with other space-faring mammals. Mice act differently in space, according to a report published this month in the journal Scientific Reports.

Twenty female mice lived aboard the ISS, in a newly installed NASA Rodent Habitat, for up to a month. Scientists at NASA Ames Research Center and other institutions filmed the mice. Rodents have been to space before, but the video provides the "first detailed behavioral analysis" of mice in a space habitat, the study authors wrote.

At first the mice groomed each other and huddled together, which wasn't out of the ordinary. They somersaulted, as mice sometimes do on Earth. They ate, like normal.

But something changed. After more than a week in space, young mice began to sprint and glide, as though they were zooming inside invisible hamster wheels. The scientists called this circling behavior, which they hadn't seen before, "race-tracking." Within a few days, other mice joined the fray. As a group, they ran laps around the habitats, reaching speeds of about a mile an hour. It's strange to watch (which you can do in the video above).

The scientists aren't sure why the mice did this. Perhaps the rodents were trying to balance their inner ears. It's possible they were stressed. But exercise can be rewarding, the authors pointed out. Maybe these mice had invented, like Kelly and his water-ball tennis, a new way to play.

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Microgravity changes human behavior. Astronaut Chris Hadfield said he learned to speak differently because he became accustomed to speaking through weightless lips. Aboard the International Space Station, people have invented games impossible to play on Earth: NASA's Scott Kelly, for instance, once played a solo round of table tennis by slapping a floating ball of water between two paddles.

Humans share this trait with other space-faring mammals. Mice act differently in space, according to a report published this month in the journal Scientific Reports.

Twenty female mice lived aboard the ISS, in a newly installed NASA Rodent Habitat, for up to a month. Scientists at NASA Ames Research Center and other institutions filmed the mice. Rodents have been to space before, but the video provides the "first detailed behavioral analysis" of mice in a space habitat, the study authors wrote.

At first the mice groomed each other and huddled together, which wasn't out of the ordinary. They somersaulted, as mice sometimes do on Earth. They ate, like normal.

But something changed. After more than a week in space, young mice began to sprint and glide, as though they were zooming inside invisible hamster wheels. The scientists called this circling behavior, which they hadn't seen before, "race-tracking." Within a few days, other mice joined the fray. As a group, they ran laps around the habitats, reaching speeds of about a mile an hour. It's strange to watch (which you can do in the video above).

The scientists aren't sure why the mice did this. Perhaps the rodents were trying to balance their inner ears. It's possible they were stressed. But exercise can be rewarding, the authors pointed out. Maybe these mice had invented, like Kelly and his water-ball tennis, a new way to play.

Ben

USDA orders scientists to say published research is 'preliminary'
Any scientist reading the disclaimer added to USDA research "would be very confused by this statement," one journal editor said.
 
 
ADVERTISEMENT
 
One of Alaska's warmest springs on record is causing a dangerous thaw
"Climate change is happening faster than it's ever happened before in our record," said Bryan Thomas, station chief for the United States' northernmost climate observatory. "We're right in the middle of it."
 
A man conned his NASA-funded lab into paying for trips to see prostitutes and escorts, feds say
According to the indictment, the man arranged to meet escorts and prostitutes in cities like London and New York with the help of fabricated documents, before submitting reimbursement requests for them.
 
Scientists restore some brain cell functions in pigs four hours after death
"Huge breakthrough" could lead to clinical treatments of brain damage but also raises ethical concerns and creepy scenarios.
 
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Understanding the human brain may help improve AI.
 
 
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