Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have conducted experiments on mice to find possible solutions for dementia (mice typically succumb to Alzheimer’s symptoms within a year of birth). They discovered that a daily dose of fisetin, a flavanol found in strawberries, mangos, cucumbers, and other fruit and vegetables, successfully arrested the progressive loss of memory and other deleterious symptoms associated with learning. The research was published in the journal Aging Cell.
Snips and snails and puppy dogs’ tails, or sugar and spice and all things nice? From our animal-centered point of view, the distinction between males and female can seem rather obvious—many animals have male individuals and female individuals whose differences are often pretty evident at a glance. However, we’re also aware of more exotic variations like hermaphroditism and Tiresias-like midlife gender-bending. Indeed, the further we get from the birds and the bees, the more it becomes unclear what exactly we mean by “male” and “female.” Are these just tags, or are they fundamentally different? And if the latter, how did this fundamental difference come to be?