How Your Cat Is Making You Crazy - The Atlantic
A tiny parasite called Toxoplasma gondii might be driving people crazy. That’s what Jaroslav Flegr believes, anyway. For years he has pursued the odd, yet increasingly realistic theory that this brain-dwelling parasite could be infecting humans via household cats and affecting the way they behave. Toxo literally changes the way you produce dopamine, a key neurotransmitter.
It’s not “crazy cat lady” syndrome, per se, but if Toxo can drive rats so nuts that they walk right into the jaws of a cat, could it influence things like extroversion and schizophrenia in humans?
There is strong psychological resistance to the possibility that human behavior can be influenced by some stupid parasite. Nobody likes to feel like a puppet.
Read more about his work and how Toxo affects the brain at The Atlantic.
Bonus feature: A Radiolab segment about Toxo from 2009.
Space Cats
What are “space cats”? You’ve probably never heard of them, thanks to heroes like Brant Widgeon. All that #spaceporn on your dash, cleaned up of this astronomical photobombing feline scourge.
Purring their way through the dark reaches of space, ruining the photographic majesty of the universe with their cute, furry little faces.
What would we do without him?
(by andyfreeberg)
LIFE’s 37 Best-Ever Science Photos
I don’t care what is going on here, but this picture alone should convince you too look through this slideshow.
(via LIFE)
Research And Development
I don’t even want to know how long it took them to perfect kitten mittons???
Well, of course.
Genetically altered cat with a jellyfish protein, glowing green.
And why are they green? Because they are carrying a primate gene (along with a green fluorescent marker) called TRIM5alpha that scientists hope will make them immune from the virus FIV. If this works, it could have implications for one of FIV’s relatives … HIV.
-J
(via freshphotons)
… pet owners had greater self-esteem, were more physically fit, tended to be less lonely, were more conscientious, were more extraverted, tended to be less fearful and tended to be less preoccupied than non-owners.
Allen R. McConnell, PhD - Author of mental health study of pet owners. The science is in, folks. You should get a pet :)
No word on the effects of having 19, though.
The Truth About Cats and Dogs: Pets Are Good for Mental Health of ‘Everyday People’
Last year, scientists gave cats a step up over dogs by claiming that they had a particularly interesting and unique way of drinking. Thanks to the miracles of modern biological science, we know that dogs drink in the same manner. In fact, cats probably copied dogs, because we all know that dogs are more creative than cats, right? RIGHT?!
Because they don’t have cheeks (like us) or trunks (like elephants), dogs and cats have evolved a new way of drinking from horizontal sources of water (basically all of them, because spring-fed waterfalls are rare in the wild). Using x-ray video, Harvard scientists were able to model the anatomical details of dogs drinking. It’s pretty awesome looking.
No word on whether we can teach them to keep the water IN their mouth, but hey, a guy can dream.
(via Dogs do drink like cats after all | Not Exactly Rocket Science | Discover Magazine)
we assume here that linear quantum mechanics works for cats
The rare African black-footed cat is an endangered species that thanks to science was successfully bred from frozen eggs and sper… OOOOOOH CUTE KITTENS!!!
(via Extinction Countdown: Rare African kittens bred from frozen eggs and sperm)
“… in each case, the cat’s markings provided camouflage specific to its habitat, confirming the common wisdom. Spotted cats frequent forests, striped tigers lurk in tall grass, and unmarked lions range out in the open. The team also found that the most irregularly marked species, including jaguars and leopards, tend to hunt at night, where their patterns can confuse the night vision of their prey. All of which suggests that protecting big cats means protecting their habitats as well.”
(via ScienceShot: Seeing Spots? Must Be a Forest Cat - ScienceNOW)
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