DIY Builds
DIY Builds
Photo: Ryutaro Tsukata
Human beings tend to avoid places that smell of urine. But to mice, there is something positively addictive about the scent; they like to go back to a spot where they found the excretions again and again.
Cost Estimator by Size SHED SIZE TYPICAL COST RANGE 8×10 (80 sq. ft) $1,600 to $14,000 10×10 (100 sq. ft) $2,000 to $17,500 10×12 (120 sq. ft)...
Read More »
Are Pallets Free At Lowes? Lowes gives free pallets to its customers. However, not all Lowes stores provide free pallets as some recycle them as...
Read More »
Human beings tend to avoid places that smell of urine. But to mice, there is something positively addictive about the scent; they like to go back to a spot where they found the excretions again and again. Now, researchers have discovered that this behavior is triggered by a single protein in the urine of male mice. Mice use scent to mark their territory, advertise their social dominance, and convey information about their health and reproductive status. But these are usually volatile pheromones that disperse quickly, and it has remained unclear what exactly stimulates a female to be attracted to a specific male. Previous research had shown that female laboratory mice often return to a place where they have come across cage bedding soiled by males. Now, researchers at the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom have confirmed this. Female mice spent five times as much time in a place where they had encountered a dish with male urine than at a place where they encountered water. Just 10 minutes of exposure to the urine was enough for the mice to show this place preference even after 14 days. However, if the mice were prevented from touching the urine with their nose by a mesh screen, the place seemed to lose its attractiveness. "That suggested that the story was not as simple as everybody assumed and volatile pheromones were not responsible," says behavioral ecologist Jane Hurst, one of the authors of the study. By separating the urine into different fractions, the scientists showed that a protein called darcin that they had identified in 2005—and which mice can only detect if their noses touch the urine—is responsible for the frequent visits. Pure darcin, produced in cell culture in the lab, elicited the same reaction, the authors report online today in Science. "This is a really compelling story," says Lisa Stowers, a neuroscientist at the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, California. "Mammals were thought to be much more complex, but this study shows that a single chemical can lead [them to act] in a certain way." The study is "very simple and elegant," she adds. But it also raises new questions. For instance: There are many other ways a mouse could learn to return to a certain place. "So what is the benefit of evolving this [special] mechanism?" Hurst says that what fascinates her is that the pheromones induce learning in the mice. And the animals do not only learn to be attracted to the place where they encountered the darcin. "They learn the odor cues of that specific male and are then attracted to it," Hurst says. "Being familiar with a scent really seems to be important for whether a female is interested in a male." The reason, Hurst suggests, is that dominant males, who make attractive mates, tend to leave the most marks in a certain territory. The researchers showed that male mice, too, are attracted to a place if they have encountered darcin there, probably to foster a behavior called countermarking. "If males come across another male's scent mark, they put their own, fresher urine there," Hurst explains. This could also be the reason why some laboratory strains seem to have lost the ability to produce darcin: Because laboratory mice are usually group-housed, they have been selected to be less aggressive, and not producing darcin could help reduce tensions.
Handyman Calculator Known as one of the most useful apps for woodworkers, the Handyman Calculator app for Android devices contains all the...
Read More »
Always use pressure treated lumber when constructing things that will need to stand up to the elements. As for the sheds' floor deck, use ¾-in. or...
Read More »
Thankfully, installation of a toilet is generally not concerned with planning permission, but it's worth checking with your Local Planning...
Read More »
Sleeping in a garage can be quite comfortable if you take measures to reduce the noise. One way to do this is to soundproof the walls. You can...
Read More »
While looking for soundproofing solutions for your home or studio, you may have come across styrofoam as a solution. While styrofoam can...
Read More »
These are! They guide you every step of the way to complete your dream shed.
Learn More »
The stereotypical sound of human laughter is an aspirated h, followed by a vowel, usually a, and largely because of our larynx is rich in...
Read More »
Promotion