Ů��С��Ƶ

Skip to content

Easy living

22 April 2000

LIFE in the lab gives gerbils big testes and small brains, say German
researchers. All the Mongolian gerbils used in labs are descended from 20 wild
animals that were caught in 1935. Steffen Blottner of the Institute for Zoo
Biology and Wildlife Research in Berlin and his colleagues found that lab males
had heavier testes, and produced more sperm (Journal of Zoology, vol
250, p 461). They also had smaller brains than wild gerbils.

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with New Ů��С��Ƶ events and special offers.

Sign up

or

Existing subscribers

More from New Ů��С��Ƶ

Explore the latest news, articles and features

Archaeopteryx. Artwork of the prehistoric feathered reptile Archaeopteryx which lived around 150 million years ago. Discovered in 1861 in southern Germany, it was the first feathered fossil specimen ever found. Despite possessing bird-like feathers, wings and a wishbone, Archaeopteryx also had sharp teeth, finger digits and a bony tail similar to non-bird predatory dinosaurs. This species and numerous other feathered fossils support the theory that modern day birds evolved from prehistoric theropod dinosaurs.

Life

New Ů��С��Ƶ recommends a brilliant take on the evolution of birds

Culture

Aerial view of an oasis on the edge of the desert town of Mao, known as the 'White City' for the limestone used to build local homes. For centuries, oases have enabled humans to survive, and even to thrive, in some of the harshest environments on earth. Now they are under threat from climate change.

Environment

Striking photos show how sands are encroaching on oases in the Sahara

Regulars

Think you have a good sense of humour? So do most people…

Comment

Think you have a good sense of humour? So do most people…

Regulars

Backrooms A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom.

Comment

Sci-fi horror film Backrooms is a triumph for its 20-year-old director

Culture

1

Fully autonomous drones have killed human soldiers for the first time

2

Millions of fossil whale bones found in deep-ocean ‘necropolis’

3

What is a ‘normal’ memory slowdown, and when should I worry?

4

A nuclear war between India and Pakistan could destroy the ozone layer

5

Unpicking endometriosis reveals how it affects more than the pelvis

6

Why we should all take quantum physics extremely personally

7

Hundreds of new moons are revealing our solar system's violent history

8

The last-ditch plan to save coral reefs from utter destruction

9

What really happened when ancient humans migrated out of Africa

10

The distant world that is our best hope of finding alien life