WIKIMEDIA, KEITH WELLERFemale pigs may be able to sense and respond differently to sperm based on which sex the gametes dictated for the offspring, researchers from the University of Sheffield and their colleagues reported in BMC Genomics this week (May 21). In a series of experiments, the researchers showed that the oviducts of inseminated sows showed increased or decreased expression of various genes in the presence of predominantly X or Y sperm.
“What this study shows is that one possible way in which mammalian mothers could influence the sex ratio of their offspring is through differential . . . responses to X and Y chromosome sperm,” said evolutionary biologist Tommaso Pizzari, who was not involved in the work.
WIKIMEDIA, RAMAEliminating the pain receptor TRPV1 in mice is associated with longer lifespan and a more youthful metabolism, a team led by investigators at the University of California, Berkeley, showed this week (May 22) in Cell. With experiments in mouse and C. elegans models, the investigators sought to address the question: “Are they reporting in more pain because as you get older you’re just in more pain, or does pain drive the aging process?” study coauthor Andrew Dillin, a molecular and cell biologist at Berkeley, told The Scientist.
The team’s results in mice and worms suggest the latter is true, and support previously reported links between pain, inflammation, and longevity. But whether they hold up in humans has yet to be seen. “It is still an animal study,” said Gerard Ahern of Georgetown University, who was not involved in the work. “How ...
