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.
As we transition into spring, wildfires are on the minds of many Canadians. In fact, wildfires have already started in some parts of the country.
Ecology
May 11, 2026
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Dysfunction resulting from mitochondrial DNA mutations has been implicated in multiple human pathologies, including neurodegenerative disorders, metabolic syndromes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. The stress from mtDNA ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 7, 2026
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Speech is a crowning achievement of human evolution, the skill that separates us from every other animal. So, it would stand to reason that evolving this capability required some enormous leap in brain complexity. A study ...
Plants & Animals
May 6, 2026
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A new kind of CRISPR that destroys cells rather than gene editing them has shown potential for killing sick cells while leaving healthy cells untouched. The technology has largely been tested in cells in a dish, but if it ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 6, 2026
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Researchers at the University of Oregon have developed an artificial intelligence tool that can read genetic code the way large language models like ChatGPT read text. Scanning the genome for biological mutation patterns, ...
Biotechnology
May 4, 2026
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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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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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