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Cross-section showing digging chain of naked mole-rats (Photo: Justin O’Riain).
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... is it? Heterocephalus glaber — not exactly cute, but one of the most extraordinary creatures known to science ( Figure 1). What’s with the teeth? It looks strange because its lips close behind its teeth; mole-rats are one of the only mammals that can do this. It can spend its entire life underground and forages by tunnelling with its teeth to find tubers. If you were to try digging with your mouth you’d wish you looked more like a naked ...
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... is it? Heterocephalus glaber - not exactly cute, but one of the most extraordinary creatures known to science (Figure 1). ...
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... the two eyes are separated horizontally, they see the same visual scene from two slightly different vantage points. When we 'look at' a particular feature in space, such as the black dot on the arrow in Figure 1A, what we are doing is aiming the fovea -the tiny retinal region of highest visual acuity -of each eye at that feature. This act defines the 'plane of fixation'. ...
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... collection of points that appear at exactly the same depth is referred to as the "empirical horopter" and is slightly flatter than the geometric horopter.) Now consider parts of an object that lie either in front of or behind the plane of fixation, such as the head and tail, respectively, of the arrow in figure 1B. These features will not project to corresponding points on the two retinas. ...
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We used nested clade phylogeographic analysis (NCPA) of mitochondrial DNA sequence data to examine the processes contributing to population structure in naked mole-rats. We examined sequence variation in the (1097 bp) control region D-loop of the mitochondrial genome in 303 individuals from 174 colonies of naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber) lo...
Hind foot drumming as a form of seismic signaling plays a pivotal role in the communication of various mammalian species including Bathyergidae (African mole‐rats). The aim of the present study was to histologically determine if the action of hind foot drumming would influence the number of type II fibers present in the hind limb muscles of two dru...
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... However, the afferent signal to both of these is blocked at the dorsal root, and neither hyperalgesic thermal sensitivity nor scratching behaviours are expressed. Nonetheless, contrary to Browe et al. (2020) and Griffin (2008), naked mole-rats can sense pain via Aδ fibers, and respond normally to tissue damage (S. Braude, T.B. Hildebrandt & S. Holtze, personal observations). ...
Naked mole‐rats express many unusual traits for such a small rodent. Their morphology, social behaviour, physiology, and ageing have been well studied over the past half‐century. Many early findings and speculations about this subterranean species persist in the literature, although some have been repeatedly questioned or refuted. While the popularity of this species as a natural‐history curiosity, and oversimplified story‐telling in science journalism, might have fuelled the perpetuation of such misconceptions, an accurate understanding of their biology is especially important for this new biomedical model organism. We review 28 of these persistent myths about naked mole‐rat sensory abilities, ecophysiology, social behaviour, development and ageing, and where possible we explain how these misunderstandings came about.
... Naked mole-rats have cylindrical bodies with short limbs and purplish brown back and tail. Their skin is wrinkled and loose, which helps them to turn in compact spaces or squeeze through the tiniest of tunnels, and allowing them to maneuver around confined spaces [36,37]. The naked mole-rat's cylindrical body is 8 to 10 cm long. ...
... Their large incisors protrude or stick out beyond its mouth, which are used to dig. Their lips are sealed just behind the teeth, preventing soil from filling their mouths while digging [36,37]. ...
... They have adapted to survive in the desert by extracting their liquid needs solely from plants. In the wild, they survive on long roots and fat tubers from the grassland plants above and vegetation [36]. Naked mole-rats have high densities of gut fauna that aid in digestion of their indigestible higher cellulose diet. ...
... Las interacciones entre co-específicos son conocidas en insectos sociales por regular muchas funciones de la colonia. Por ejemplo, la elección de un sitio de nidificación, la deposición de feromonas, la ubicación de un nuevo recurso a explotar e incluso la remoción de obstáculos que limitan la altura del sendero (Gordon et al. 1993, Deneubourg et al. 2002, Depickère et al. 2004, 2008, Farji-Brener et al. 2010, Bruce 2016. Nuevos estudios deberían poner a prueba esta hipótesis manipulando la densidad de hormigas en ambos lados del obstáculo para comprender mejor el mecanismo por el cual se decide remover el mismo. ...
... Sin embargo, en términos de eficiencia las estrategias colectivas e individuales son similares, lo cual podría ser consecuencia del costo (en términos de tiempo) que implica la coordinación motora entre varios individuos en las resoluciones colectivas. En otros contextos como la selección de un sitio de nidificación o un parche de recursos, se ha demostrado que la interacción entre dos o más individuos juega un rol positivo para la colonia o grupo (Gordon et al. 1993, Deneubourg et al. 2002, Depickère et al. 2004, 2008, Farji-Brener et al. 2010, Bruce 2016. Los resultados de este trabajo muestran otro contexto (la limpieza de los senderos de forrajeo) en el que la interacción entre las obreras puede beneficiar a la colonia, resaltando una de las ventajas de vivir en grupo. ...
... Las interacciones entre co-específicos son conocidas en insectos sociales por regular muchas funciones de la colonia. Por ejemplo, la elección de un sitio de nidificación, la deposición de feromonas, la ubicación de un nuevo recurso a explotar e incluso la remoción de obstáculos que limitan la altura del sendero (Gordon et al. 1993, Deneubourg et al. 2002, Depickère et al. 2004, 2008, Farji-Brener et al. 2010, Bruce 2016). ...
The Chilean degu ( Octodon degus ) is a medium sized, long-lived rodent with traits that make them a natural model for neuroscience research. Their social behaviors, diurnality, and extended developmental time course, when compared to other rodents, make them useful for social behavioral, chronobiology, and developmental research. Lab-kept degus have a long lifespan (5–8 years) and may naturally develop age-related diseases that resemble Alzheimer’s disease. While there is significant interest in using the Octodon degus for neuroscience research, including aging and Alzheimer’s disease studies, laboratory management and methods for degus research are currently not standardized. This lack of standardization potentially impacts study reproducibility and makes it difficult to compare results between different laboratories. Degus require species-specific housing and handling methods that reflect their ecology, life history, and group-living characteristics. Here we introduce major principles and ethological considerations of colony management and husbandry. We provide clear instructions on laboratory practices necessary for maintaining a healthy and robust colony of degus for Alzheimer’s disease neuroscience research towards conducting reproducible studies. We also report detailed procedures and methodical information for degu Apoe genotyping and ethologically relevant burrowing behavioral tasks in laboratory settings.
In the first description of evolution, the fundamental mechanism is the natural selection favoring the individuals best suited for survival and reproduction (selection at the individual level or classical Darwinian selection). However, this is a very reductive description of natural selection that does not consider or explain a long series of known phenomena, including those in which an individual sacrifices or jeopardizes his life on the basis of genetically determined mechanisms (i.e., phenoptosis). In fact, in addition to (i) selection at the individual level, it is essential to consider other types of natural selection such as those concerning: (ii) kin selection and some related forms of group selection; (iii) the interactions between the innumerable species that constitute a holobiont; (iv) the origin of the eukaryotic cell from prokaryotic organisms; (v) the origin of multicellular eukaryotic organisms from unicellular organisms; (vi) eusociality (e.g., in many species of ants, bees, termites); (vii) selection at the level of single genes, or groups of genes; (viii) the interactions between individuals (or more precisely their holobionts) of the innumerable species that make up an ecosystem. These forms of natural selection, which are all effects and not violations of the classical Darwinian selection, also show how concepts as life, species, individual, and phenoptosis are somewhat not entirely defined and somehow arbitrary. Furthermore, the idea of organisms selected on the basis of their survival and reproduction capabilities is intertwined with that of organisms also selected on the basis of their ability to cooperate and interact, even by losing their lives or their distinct identities.
The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) has fascinated zoologists for at least half a century. It has also generated considerable biomedical interest not only because of its extraordinary longevity, but also because of unusual protective features (e.g. its tolerance of variable oxygen availability), which may be pertinent to several human disease states, including ischemia/reperfusion injury and neurodegeneration. A recent article entitled ‘Surprisingly long survival of premature conclusions about naked mole-rat biology’ described 28 ‘myths’ which, those authors claimed, are a ‘perpetuation of beautiful, but falsified, hypotheses’ and impede our understanding of this enigmatic mammal. Here, we re-examine each of these ‘myths’ based on evidence published in the scientific literature. Following Braude et al., we argue that these ‘myths’ fall into four main categories: (i) ‘myths’ that would be better described as oversimplifications, some of which persist solely in the popular press; (ii) ‘myths’ that are based on incomplete understanding, where more evidence is clearly needed; (iii) ‘myths’ where the accumulation of evidence over the years has led to a revision in interpretation, but where there is no significant disagreement among scientists currently working in the field; (iv) ‘myths’ where there is a genuine difference in opinion among active researchers, based on alternative interpretations of the available evidence. The term ‘myth’ is particularly inappropriate when applied to competing, evidence-based hypotheses, which form part of the normal evolution of scientific knowledge. Here, we provide a comprehensive critical review of naked mole-rat biology and attempt to clarify some of these misconceptions.
Ageing in evolutionary perspective delves into an area of inquiry that is still in development but that it promises to be of great utility in the study of ageing. In this chapter we analyse several evolutionary aspects of longevity and ageing and aim to lay down the foundations for an evolutionary gerontology.
There is a considerable diversity in how skins fit. Here, we review the function of both tight and loose skins and note that the latter are poorly understood. Analysis of loose skin examples suggest five functional categories: (I) freedom of movement, (II) surface area enhancement, (III) increased structural extensibility, (IV) lubrication, and (V) maladaptive examples arising through sexual or artificial selection. We investigate the skins of hagfishes as a model for understanding loose skin function by examining its structure using histology, standardized puncture resistance testing using the ASTM F1306 protocol, and the effect of internal pressure using a simple inflated balloon model. Skins of hagfishes are composed of multiple layers of cross-helically wound connective tissue fibers of a 45° angle to the longitudinal axis, resulting in a skin that functions as fabric cut “on the bias”. Hagfish skins are relatively yielding; however, skin looseness adds a “structural extensibility” that may allow hagfishes to compensate for low puncture resistance. Physical balloon models, with stiff cores that limit length changes, show that only low pressures allow short loop radii without local buckling. Hagfishes represent ideal organisms for studying loose skin function because their skins seem to fit in all functionally adaptive categories.
This paper presents a naked mole rat (NMR) inspired energy efficient protocol for heterogeneous wireless sensor network. NMR uses strategic deployment among three types of nodes i.e. normal nodes, advanced nodes and super nodes. It takes into consideration that nodes near the base station consumes more energy as they have to act as both data originators as well as data router, therefore nodes near the base station have been provided with maximum amount of energy. Moreover, it is seen that normal nodes in heterogeneous network dies out first. So, in order to increase the stability period, advanced nodes have been associated with normal nodes which add to the energy of the normal nodes as advanced nodes don’t participate directly in the communication. Another addition is introduction of new weighted probability based on heterogeneity parameters of network for cluster head selection. Furthermore, a very important energy consumption parameter i.e. energy consumed in sensing has been taken into consideration. The simulation outcomes show that NMR based protocol is more proficient than existing protocols in terms of stability, lifetime and throughput of the network.
