Rats newest narcsThe next time you travel, you may find your luggage probed by an army of cocaine-sniffing rats. Scientists have been training rats to find and report traces of the drug by encouraging them to assume an upright posture when they smell the substance. They have attained a 95 per cent success rate with the rodents. The trained rats are likely to be far more useful than dogs, since they are cheaper to raise, do not form bonds with humans and therefore do not require a handler nearby, are able to creep into smaller spaces and are more expendable in risky circumstances. Researchers are currently trying to get the rats to identify other narcotics and explosive materials as well, with promising results.Source: Applied Animal Behavioural Science-Zoe CormierRemove electrodes, cook and serveResearchers in the United States have succeeded in harvesting and growing chicken muscle tissue in a laboratory, which could lead to astronauts growing and eating their own meat products in outer space, without animals. A major challenge of growing meat without animals is ensuring that the tissue gets enough nutrients, which means creating and sustaining capillaries and a regular blood supply. Although the scientists have grown both white and dark chicken meat, they haven’t been able to keep it alive for more than a few months—not sufficient time to grow enough to eat. Despite these setbacks, some scientists are already contemplating growing steak—a challenge in itself since the texture of steak is produced by both muscle and connective tissue. To get the connective tissue to form, the muscle needs to be exercised regularly using electrodes to stimulate muscle contraction. Source: New Scientist–Caroline D’AngeloPublic LectureProminent Harvard zoologist Richard Lewontin visits U of T on Friday to deliver the 2003 Keys Memorial Lecture at Trinity College. Lewontin will argue that the best metaphor for understanding evolution is not one of adaptation but of construction, in a talk entitled “The co-evolution of organisms and the environment.” The lecture takes place in the George Ignatieff Theatre, 15 Devonshire Place, on Jan. 10 at 12:15 p.m.
