动物工具使用交流会

<正>这是动物界第一次全体动物代表大会,会议旨在集合每种动物的聪明才智,在动物界展开一次轰轰烈烈的劳动技术革命。大会一开始,以高智商著称的黑猩猩就站在了台上:"人类已经历了三次科技革命,我们虽然落后,但只要相互学习,共同努力,就一定有机会赶上时代的步伐!我知道,在我们中间已经有很多成员会使用工具了,这就是我们的进步!今天,咱们不妨先把各自的工具展示出来,互相交流一番……"海獭的宝贝石头黑猩猩的开场白还没结束,就被一只调皮的小海獭打断了。     

动物使用工具行为研究进展北大核心CSCD

使用工具曾被认为是人类独有的能力,然而,在过去的50年中,学界逐渐认识到工具的使用普遍存在于整个动物界。其中,使用工具最多的类群是哺乳类、鸟类和昆虫。动物使用工具有一定目标性,然而大多数动物仅考虑当前的目标,而非长远目标。动物使用工具的行为受到环境因素和动物自身认知能力、生理特点与进化历史的影响,并可能表现出一定的个体差异。有些动物使用工具的行为是与生俱来的,然而大部分高等动物通过试错学习获得使用工具的能力。通过模仿学习,一些使用工具的行为可以传播和演化,从而在种群中广泛分布。工具的使用是动物认知领域的核心概念之一,开展动物使用工具的研究,能够加深对动物认知能力和行为进化的理解。     

动物也能玩转工具

许多人认为,能否制造并使用工具是人与动物的主要区别!要是知道人和动物可以如此区区分,有一群动物一定会笑岔了气。它们不仅个个是使用工具的高手,还根据出身分成两个阵营——由灵长类动物组成的类人队和囊括海陆空能手的综合队,准备好好切磋一下技艺。     

动物遗传学研究室探访

本期采访的是京都大学灵长类研究所从事动物遗传多样性研究的村山美穗副教授。自从开发了猴子的父子鉴定法以后,接着又把研究的对象扩大到牛、狗等家畜,进行有关家畜优良性状的基因多态性的研究。作为她上级的雉科专家伊藤慎一教授则掌握有多个鹌鹑的变异系统。[编者按]     

制作工具在人类演化中的地位与作用

制作工具曾经被视作人类独有的行为能力,"人类"曾经据此而定义。但目前学术界将直立行走作为人类区别于其他灵长类最重要的体质与行为特征。少量其他动物种类,尤其是非人高等灵长类,也能使用工具乃至简单制作工具。如何认识制作工具在人类演化中的作用?人类制作工具的能力与其他动物有何区别?考古学是否有能力分辨人类的工具和其他灵长类的产品?本文通过对现代巴西猴群敲砸石头的行为及其产品、4300年前黑猩猩的"石制品"和早期人类石制品的比较研究,指出人类的工具与其他动物制作和使用的工具存在根本的区别;工具制作和使用对确定人类的演化方向,增强人类的适应生存能力,塑造人类的大脑与心智及行为方式,提升语言和交流能力,形成现代人类的身心和社会,至关重要,不可或缺。考古工作者一方面需要谨慎分辨、研究人类工具制作初期的产品,不使其与自然的产物和其他动作的作品相混淆,另一方面应该认识到人类工具制作在计划性、目的性、预见性、规范性和精美度上具有唯一性,有内在的智能控制、思维逻辑和规律可循。学科发展的积累和现代科技的支撑使考古学者具有多方面的利器,能够把人类工具制作的历史挖掘、复原出来,能够破译特定的石器技术和功能,进而将人类演化的历史画卷描绘得更加精细,更加完整。     

昆明动物研究所实验动物中心简介

昆明动物研究所实验动物中心,建于1959年,是我国第一个灵长类动物人工驯养繁殖中心,最早开展灵长类动物的驯养繁殖和研究,为我国原子弹的辐射生物学研究做出过贡献。灵长类动物人工驯养繁殖经验丰富,具有较强的专业技能,长期以来,开展了猕猴、树鼩、叶猴、长臂猿和滇金丝猴等的营养、     

北京猿人怎样制作和使用工具？

众所周知,北京猿人制作和使用过的工具主要是石器,但是考古新发现表明他们也可能使用木器。只是几十万年前的有机质木器很难保留下来,因而在周口店北京猿人遗址中,目前还没有发现木器工具的实物。但不久前考古学家在德国的旧石器时代早期Sch？ningen遗址中发现了距今约40万年前的狩猎木矛的遗物,暗示着在北京猿人的时代,木质工具...     

胰岛素使用访谈工具在胰岛素治疗患者健康教育中的实施体会

目的评价胰岛素使用访谈工具在胰岛素治疗患者健康教育中的应用效果。方法选择68例住院期间首次接受胰岛素治疗的糖尿病患者,采用我对胰岛素的看法主副量表评估患者对胰岛素的认识和对胰岛素使用存在的障碍。针对患者表述的问题,评估患者当前存在的1~2个主要障碍,宣教护士在《专业访谈手册》找到相对应的讲解资料,给予分析与解读,找出讨论要点对患者进行访谈,每次访谈约30min。访谈结束后比较健康教育前、后患者对胰岛素的认识及治疗的接受程度。最后为患者制定个体化胰岛素治疗方案。结果患者对使用胰岛素治疗存在不同程度的认知误区和使用障碍;使用胰岛素访谈工具教育前、后患者对胰岛素的优点、认知、生活管理、态度、胰岛素注射相关问题、不良反应、费用等方面均有明显差异（P〈0.05）结论胰岛素使用访谈工具是以访谈模式协助医护人员与患者进行有效沟通,纠正了糖尿病患者对胰岛素治疗的认知误区,提高了糖尿病患者胰岛素治疗的依从性,是临床开展糖尿病胰岛素使用健康教育的一个优化工具。     

能帮人类找矿的动物

有些动物，在漫长的进化过程中，为了更好地适应自然环境，求得生存，于是便形成了这样或那样的找矿本领。由于狗的嗅觉异常灵敏，能嗅出２００多万种不同物质的气味，因此，可利用它对矿石气味的嗅觉训练，让其从杂乱无章的众多矿石中，找出人类需要的某种矿石。例如，只要从地下冒出一点硫化矿在氧化过程中析出的气体味道，狗就会在那里狂吠，于是便可找到硫化矿。狗还善于在自然条件极为恶劣的沼泽地带工作，成为人类找矿的“活动仪”。这种活动仪的活动范围，一般要比地质勘探中使用的物理仪器的有效半径大１０倍以上。据说，加拿大有好…     

热烈祝贺《动物学报》创刊70周年——河北师范大学生命科学学院动物学科简介

动物学科为河北师范大学生物学一级学科博士学位授权点的主要二级学科之一,拥有博士后科研流动站和博士学位授予权。学科下设五个研究方向：动物细胞生物学、动物生态学、系统动物学、水生动物学、鸟类学;两个研究所：河北省特种经济动物研究所、分子神经生物与药理学研究所;六个研究室：动物细胞与分子生物学研究室、动物生理生态与化学生态学研究室、动物生理学研究室、     

Tool use by aquatic animals

Tool-use research has focused primarily on land-based animals, with less consideration given to aquatic animals and the environmental challenges and conditions they face. Here, we review aquatic tool use and examine the contributing ecological, physiological, cognitive and social factors. Tool use among aquatic animals is rare but taxonomically diverse, occurring in fish, cephalopods, mammals, crabs, urchins and possibly gastropods. While additional research is required, the scarcity of tool use can likely be attributable to the characteristics of aquatic habitats, which are generally not conducive to tool use. Nonetheless, studying tool use by aquatic animals provides insights into the conditions that promote and inhibit tool-use behaviour across biomes. Like land-based tool users, aquatic animals tend to find tools on the substrate and use tools during foraging. However, unlike on land, tool users in water often use other animals (and their products) and water itself as a tool. Among sea otters and dolphins, the two aquatic tool users studied in greatest detail, some individuals specialize in tool use, which is vertically socially transmitted possibly because of their long dependency periods. In all, the contrasts between aquatic- and land-based tool users enlighten our understanding of the adaptive value of tool-use behaviour.     

Functional studies in living animals using multiphoton microscopy

In vivo microscopy is a powerful method for studying fundamental issues of physiology and pathophysiology. The recent development of multiphoton fluorescence microscopy has extended the reach of in vivo microscopy, supporting high-resolution imaging deep into the tissues and organs of living animals. As compared with other in vivo imaging techniques, multiphoton microscopy is uniquely capable of providing a window into cellular and subcellular processes in the context of the intact, functioning animal. In addition, the ability to collect multiple colors of fluorescence from the same sample makes in vivo microscopy uniquely capable of characterizing up to three parameters from the same volume, supporting powerful correlative analyses. Since its invention in 1990, multiphoton microscopy has been increasingly applied to numerous areas of medical investigation, providing invaluable insights into cell physiology and pathology. However, researchers have only begun to realize the true potential of this powerful technology as it has proliferated beyond the laboratories of a relatively few pioneers. In this article we present an overview of the advantages and limitations of multiphoton microscopy as applied to in vivo imaging. We also review specific examples of the application of in vivo multiphoton microscopy to studies of physiology and pathology in a variety of organs including the brain, skin, skeletal muscle, tumors, immune cells, and visceral organs.     

DNA fingerprinting in domestic animals using four different minisatellite probes

Four probes known to allow DNA fingerprinting in the human (M13, Jeffreys' core sequence, the human alpha globin hypervariable region [HVR], and a mouse probe related to the Drosophila Per gene) were checked for their ability to reveal "genetic bar codes" in cattle, horses, pigs, dogs, chickens, and a European cyprinid fish, the barbel (Barbus barbus L.). Individual-specific patterns were obtained in cattle using M13, Jeffreys' core sequence, and the alpha globin HVR, in horses, dogs, and pigs using M13, Jeffreys' core sequence, and the Per probe, and in chicken and fish using the four different probes. Although we observed a considerable heterogeneity in the extent of interindividual variation, depending on the particular probe-species combination, the fingerprints are polymorphic enough to be used efficiently in animal identification, paternity testing, and as a source of genetic markers for linkage analysis. These markers should substantially accelerate the mapping of genes affecting economically important traits.     

Generating and manipulating transgenic animals using transposable elements

Transposable elements, or transposons, have played a significant role in the history of biological research. They have had a major influence on the structure of genomes during evolution, they can cause mutations, and their study led to the concept of so-called "selfish DNA". In addition, transposons have been manipulated as useful gene transfer vectors. While primarily restricted to use in invertebrates, prokaryotes, and plants, it is now clear that transposon technology and biology are just as relevant to the study of vertebrate species. Multiple transposons now have been shown to be active in vertebrates and they can be used for germline transgenesis, somatic cell transgenesis/gene therapy, and random germline insertional mutagenesis. The sophistication of these applications and the number of active elements are likely to increase over the next several years. This review covers the vertebrate-active retrotransposons and transposons that have been well studied and adapted for use as gene transfer agents. General considerations and predictions about the future utility of transposon technology are discussed.     

Non-invasive genotyping of transgenic animals using fecal DNA

For genotyping of transgenic animals, many IACUC guidelines recommend the use of fecal DNA when possible because this approach is non-invasive. Existing methods for extracting fecal DNA may be costly or involve the use of toxic organic solvents. Furthermore, feces contain an abundance of PCR inhibitors that may hinder DNA amplification when they are co-purified with fecal DNA. Here the authors describe a cost-effective, non-toxic method for genotyping transgenic animals by using the reagent AquaStool to extract fecal DNA and remove PCR inhibitors. Genotyping results obtained from fecal DNA samples extracted using AquaStool were reliably accurate when compared with results obtained from tail DNA samples. Because it is non-invasive, the authors believe that use of this method for genotyping transgenic animals using fecal DNA samples may improve animal welfare.     

Evaluation of glycated insulin in diabetic animals using immunocytochemistry and radioimmunoassay

Glycated insulin was evaluated in plasma and biological tissues of diabetic animal models by immunocytochemistry (ICC) and a novel radioimmunoassay. Glycated insulin circulated at 0.10 +/- 0.04 ng/ml and 2.20 +/- 0.14 ng/ml in lean and diabetic obese (ob/ob) mice, corresponding to 12.5 and 9.8% total plasma insulin, respectively. The concentration of glycated insulin was elevated 22-fold in obese mice compared to controls (P < 0.001). In the pancreas, glycated insulin was 48 +/- 10 and 83 +/- 4 ng/g wt (P < 0.05) in lean and obese mice, respectively, representing approximately 2% total insulin in the diabetic pancreas (4.60 +/- 0.17 microg/g wt). ICC revealed fluorescent positively stained cells in pancreatic islets from hydrocortisone (HC)-treated diabetic rats. Fasting of HC-treated rats, resulted in 3-fold and 15-fold reductions in plasma glycated insulin (P < 0.01) and insulin (P < 0.001), respectively. Following a 30 min feeding period in these insulin resistant rats, plasma glucose, insulin, and glycated insulin increased (P < 0.001) rapidly with 1.4-, 1.6-, and 2.9-fold elevations, respectively. Injection of HC-treated rats with insulin (50 U/kg) resulted in a rapid 33% decrease of plasma glucose (P < 0.001) and a marked 4-fold increase in plasma insulin (P < 0.01), whereas glycated insulin concentrations remained unchanged. Since glycation of insulin impairs biological activity, physiologically regulated secretion of glycated insulin into the circulation in diabetic animal models suggests a role in the pathogenesis of diabetes.     

An estimator of the mutant frequency in assays using transgenic animals

The Poisson distribution is a fundamental probability model for count data, and is a natural model for the observed plaque counts in mutation assays using animals with lambda or PhiX174 transgenes. The Poisson likelihood for observed counts is a function of the mutant fraction, and it is straightforward to derive the associated maximum likelihood estimate of the mutant fraction and its variance. The estimate is easy to calculate, and if not the same, very similar to ad hoc estimates in current use. The model indicates the proper way to combine data from a number of plates, possibly prepared with different sample dilutions. The estimator of the mutant fraction is biased as a consequence of dividing by a random variable, the plaque count used to calculate the total recovered plaque-forming units. Fortunately, the bias becomes negligible as this count becomes large. On the other hand, increasing this count can increase the variance by decreasing the amount of sample assayed for mutant phages. Concurrent heed to the bias and the variance provides some guidance as to the optimum allocation of a sample into portions assayed for mutant phages and total recovered phages. The distribution of the estimate of the mutant fraction is related to the binomial distribution. This relationship implies a binomial distribution for the mutant count conditional on an overall count (either the sum of mutant and counted total plaques or the sum of counted mutant and non-mutant plaques). A special but important case occurs when each plate can be evaluated for mutant plaques and non-mutant plaques. Then, the observed proportion of mutants estimates the mutant fraction. More generally, the relationship to a binomial distribution provides a procedure for calculating a confidence interval.