Research Progress

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  Desert hamsters remain homeothermic and very active during cold acclimation when sufficient food supplied

  Desert hamsters (Phodopus roborovskii) are one of the 3 species in genus Phodopus with a body mass of only around 20g. Compared with the plentiful knowledge about Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungrus), which also belong to the same genus and are very famous as a model in seasonal adaptation research, there is only limited information about the energetics and thermal physiology in desert hamsters. To examine the potential effects of cold temperature on thermal physiology and energetics in male desert hamsters, animals were exposed to 5oC for 4 weeks under 16L:8D (light-dark) circles. Core body temperature and gross activity were telemetrically monitored.

  Dec 23, 2010
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  The Fused/Smurf Complex Controls the Fate of Drosophila Germline Stem Cells by Generating a Gradient BMP Response

  Stem cells in adult tissues are viewed as products of their microenvironment or niche. Although the signaling pathways involved in the interaction of stem cells with niche have been identified in many stem cell populations, the mechanisms of how stem cells and their specialized sisters differentially respond to the signals from niche remain poorly understood.

  Dec 15, 2010
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  Discovery of a water channel essential for postcopulatory sperm osmoadaptation

  Dec 08, 2010
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  Elevated CO2 shifts the focus of tobacco plant defences from cucumber mosaic virus to the green peach aphid

  The effects of Elevated CO2 on plant defences to phytophagous insects and plant virus attract increasing attention recently. Elevation in CO2 concentration broadly impacts plant physiological characteristics, which influences herbivores and biotrophic pathogens, which in turn regulate the plant defensive response. In recent study of Ge Feng’s research team, responses of tobacco plants to stress in the form of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), or cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), or both aphid and CMV combined were investigated in open-top chambers under ambient and elevated CO2 concentrations.

  Nov 26, 2010
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  New Evidence Suggests Southern China as a Common Source of Multiple Clusters of Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza Virus

  Oct 25, 2010
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  Researchers in the Institute of Zoology found the BIC and DT should be preferred for model selection in molecular phylogenetics

  Oct 18, 2010
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  A second new species of ice crawlers from China, with thorax evolution and the prediction of potential distribution

  Sep 28, 2010
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  Automatic call-independent individual recognition in four passerines using acoustic features

  Sep 16, 2010
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  Regulation of neuropathy target esterase by the cAMP/protein kinase A signal

  Neuropathy target esterase (NTE) was identi？ed as the primary target of the organophosphorus compounds (OP) that cause a syndrome calledOP-induced delayed neuropathy (OPIDN), characterized by paralysis of the lower limbs due to degeneration of long axons in the spinal cord and peripheral nerves. It has been suggested that the inhibition and subsequent ageing of NTE initiates OPIDN.

  Aug 30, 2010
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  Bioaccumulation behavior of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in the freshwater food chain of Baiyangdian Lake

  Aug 16, 2010