(Press-News.org) Australia can lay claim to two new species of native rodent thanks to a study from The Australian National University (ANU).
The aptly named delicate mouse was previously thought to be a single species spanning a massive stretch of the country from the Pilbara in Western Australia, across parts of the Northern Territory and through Queensland down to the New South Wales border.
But researchers at ANU and CSIRO thought there might be more to the story.
Lead author Dr Emily Roycroft, from ANU, said we now know there are actually three distinct species.
"Thanks to new genetic technology, we’ve confirmed the delicate mouse is three species, not one. Identifying undescribed species and giving them official names goes a long way to making sure they're properly looked after."
Dr Roycroft said while it might be difficult for the untrained eye to tell the species apart, the discovery is significant for the future of the tiny mouse.
"The two new species haven't had any conservation or research attention, because we didn’t know they were there," Dr Roycroft said.
"We don't know, for example, if population declines have gone undetected as a result of all three species being assessed as a single unit.
"The delicate mouse has not been a conservation priority -- but that’s because it was thought to have a distribution three times larger than it actually does. This will allow us to reassess."
Dr Roycroft said the delicate mouse differs from the mice you might come across in your home or backyard in a few important ways.
"House mice, black rats and brown rats are invasive species brought to Australia since European colonisation. They're very different to native rodents, both evolutionary and ecologically. They compete with our native species for resources," she said.
"Delicate mice are part of a group of native rodents that have been evolving in Australia for the last five million years. They’re a crucial part of Australia’s natural environment and ecosystems.
"Delicate mice are our smallest Australian rodent - they can weigh as little as six grams, so they're really tiny."
The study also found delicate mice are excellent adaptors to their environment, whether that be arid desert or forest.
The three species will now go by common names that point to their location: the western delicate mouse or Pilbara delicate mouse, eastern delicate mouse and northern delicate mouse.
The study has been published in Molecular Ecology.
END
Mice surprise: Australian researchers discover new native species
2024-02-22
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Latest research redefines neurodevelopmental risks, outcomes for congenital heart disease
2024-02-22
Statement Highlights:
A new American Heart Association scientific statement updates more than a decade of research identifying, managing and preventing neurodevelopmental delays and disorders among people with congenital heart disease.
The new statement outlines important changes since the Association’s last statement in 2012, such as revised criteria to determine which children and adults are at high risk for neurological developmental delays and disorders, as well as an updated list of factors that may increase the risk.
Critical next ...
Researchers discover underlying cause of “brain fog” linked with Long COVID
2024-02-22
Today, a team of scientists from Trinity College Dublin and investigators from FutureNeuro announced a major discovery that has profound importance for our understanding of brain fog and cognitive decline seen in some patients with Long COVID.
In the months after the emergence of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV2 in late 2019 a patient-reported syndrome termed Long-COVID began to come to the fore as an enduring manifestation of acute infection.
Long COVID has up to 200 reported symptoms to date, but in general patients report lingering symptoms such as fatigue, ...
Carbon emissions from the destruction of mangrove forests predicted to increase by 50,000% by the end of the century
2024-02-22
The annual rate of carbon emissions due to the degradation of carbon stocks in mangrove forests is predicted to rise by nearly 50,000% by the end of the century, according to a new study published in IOP Publishing’s journal Environmental Research Letters. Mangroves in regions such as southern India, southeastern China, Singapore and eastern Australia are particularly affected.
Mangrove forests store a large amount of carbon, particularly in their soils, however human development in these areas has led to the degradation of these carbon ...
Cracking the code of neurodegeneration: New model identifies potential therapeutic target
2024-02-22
Scientists at the University of Zurich have developed an innovative neural cell culture model, shedding light on the intricate mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration. Their research pinpointed a misbehaving protein as a promising therapeutic target in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
Neurodegenerative diseases cause some of the neurons in our brains to die, resulting in different symptoms depending on the brain region affected. In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), neurons in the motor cortex and spinal ...
Former Dutch minister and renowned gastroenterologist joins NTU Singapore as Vice President of Research
2024-02-22
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has appointed Professor Ernst Kuipers, a renowned gastroenterologist, healthcare executive, and former Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport for The Netherlands, as NTU Singapore’s new Vice President (Research).
Prof Kuipers will also be appointed to the tenured faculty rank of Distinguished University Professor, the highest faculty rank at NTU bestowed upon faculty members with extraordinary scholarly achievements that typically span multiple disciplinary boundaries.
Announcing this new appointment, NTU President Prof Ho Teck Hua said: “We warmly welcome ...
Biggest Holocene volcano eruption found by seabed survey
2024-02-22
A detailed survey of the volcanic underwater deposits around the Kikai caldera in Japan clarified the deposition mechanisms as well as the event’s magnitude. As a result, the Kobe University research team found that the event 7,300 years ago was the largest volcanic eruption in the Holocene by far.
In addition to lava, volcanos eject large amounts of pumice, ashes and gases as a fast-moving flow, known as “pyroclastic flow,” and its sediments are a valuable data source on past eruptions. For volcanoes on land, geologists understand the sedimentation mechanism of pyroclastic flows well, but the sediments themselves get lost easily ...
Generative AI used to create translatable pediatric care educational videos for hospitals in resource-poor countries
2024-02-22
Mass General Brigham pediatric clinicians created 45 videos on pediatric care topics including how-to for surgical procedures, best practices for intubation and intensive care, and translated them to Spanish through GPT-4 large language model.
Videos distributed to clinicians in Guatemala and Colombia
AI can offer health care professionals worldwide an inclusive resource for elevating pediatric standards of care, according to authors
A team of pediatric clinicians at Mass General Brigham have turned to generative artificial intelligence (AI) to tackle problems plaguing child medical care delivery in resource-poor countries that increase risk for poor outcomes and mortality.
The ...
New realistic computer model will help robots collect Moon dust
2024-02-22
A new computer model mimics Moon dust so well that it could lead to smoother and safer Lunar robot teleoperations.
The tool, developed by researchers at the University of Bristol and based at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, could be used to train astronauts ahead of Lunar missions.
Working with their industry partner, Thales Alenia Space in the UK, who has specific interest in creating working robotic systems for space applications, the team investigated a virtual version of regolith, another name for Moon dust.
Lunar regolith is ...
Women in healthcare face significantly higher burnout rates compared to their male colleagues
2024-02-22
WASHINGTON (Feb. 22, 2024)--A new study finds women in healthcare occupations endure significantly more stress and burnout compared to their male counterparts. The analysis by researchers at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences also found that job satisfaction and better work-life balance can protect women healthcare professionals from harmful stress.
“Human beings are not equipped to handle the combined, intense pressures in healthcare in part due to the pressure to not take time to care for yourself,” Leigh A. Frame, associate director of the GW Resiliency & Well-being Center, ...
New technique can quickly detect fentanyl and other opioids
2024-02-22
University of Waterloo researchers have developed a new blood testing method that can detect potent opioids much faster than traditional approaches and potentially save lives.
The method, the latest effort by Waterloo researchers and entrepreneurs to lead health innovation in Canada, can simultaneously analyze 96 blood samples that could contain opioids such as fentanyl in under three minutes – twice as quickly as other techniques.
"The difference between our blood testing method and traditional methods used in laboratories and hospitals is that we can do it faster ...