Rodents are mammals of the order Rodentia, characterized primarily by a single pair of ever-growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws, separated from the cheek teeth by a diastema and adapted for gnawing. This order encompasses extensive taxonomic diversity, including families such as Muridae, Cricetidae, Sciuridae, and Caviidae, occupying a wide range of terrestrial and arboreal habitats. Rodents exhibit high reproductive rates, diverse dietary strategies (from herbivory to omnivory), and complex social structures in some lineages. They play key ecological roles as primary consumers, seed predators and dispersers, and prey species, and serve as important model organisms in biomedical and evolutionary research.
Every year, antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as staph, causes serious infections and outbreaks in hospitals and community settings, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, including ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 30, 2026
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Every day, millions of people watch their pet reptiles run, dig, swim or climb up against the walls of their enclosure. Reptile keepers call this "glass surfing," but among scientists, this conduct is typically considered ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 29, 2026
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Sequencing environmental DNA—or eDNA—from the East River in New York City can effectively monitor human diets and local wildlife, as well as the river's fish populations, report Mark Stoeckle and Jesse Ausubel of The Rockefeller ...
Ecology
Apr 29, 2026
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Every cell in the human body squeezes over six feet of DNA into a minuscule speck invisible to the naked eye—like compressing a whole house into a single sugar cube. In order to fit in a cell and remain organized, DNA is ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 29, 2026
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48
The sperm and the egg cell's nuclei compete for size directly after fertilization and this is necessary for proper embryonic development. A mouse study with Kobe University participation finally gives meaning to a phenomenon ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 29, 2026
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A University of Alberta study has whittled down climate-related reasons beavers are emerging earlier onto the ice from their lodges in the spring—a shift that helps them store more winter food but could also lead to more ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 28, 2026
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22
At first glance, the white plastic box with a bright orange floor looks like something for storing children's toys. However, the box isn't used to store Lego bricks; it contains real mice—with the aim of minimizing their ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 27, 2026
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9
Got a mouse in your house? That thought alone may terrify you. Now imagine if mice were scampering through your house, rummaging in your pantry or even running across your face at night.
Ecology
Apr 25, 2026
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Mammals and dinosaurs coexisted on Earth until a catastrophic event 66 million years ago killed 75% of life on the planet. Despite the devastation, some animals survived, including rodent-like mammals in the Cimolodon genus. ...
Evolution
Apr 25, 2026
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229
April 26 marks the 40th anniversary of the explosion at Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. The accident caused the largest ever release of radioactive material into the environment, and at the time ...
Ecology
Apr 24, 2026
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