Antimicrobial Activity of Bark from Four North American Tree Species.

Introduction: Although many backcountry first aid kits contain antibiotic ointment, the supply can be quickly exhausted if a patient has extensive wounds or if there are multiple patients.

Methods: We assessed the antibacterial properties of bark extract from four North American woody plant species known to native Missourians as medicinal plants (, , and ). We tested their antimicrobial properties, with the disc diffusion technique, against four common pathogenic bacterial species: , , , and (now known as )

Results: We report evidence of antibacterial activity of bark extract from all four plant species.

Mammalian maxilloturbinal evolution does not reflect thermal biology.

The evolution of endothermy in vertebrates is a major research topic in recent decades that has been tackled by a myriad of research disciplines including paleontology, anatomy, physiology, evolutionary and developmental biology. The ability of most mammals to maintain a relatively constant and high body temperature is considered a key adaptation, enabling them to successfully colonize new habitats and harsh environments. It has been proposed that in mammals the anterior nasal cavity, which houses the maxilloturbinal, plays a pivotal role in body temperature maintenance, via a bony system supporting an epithelium involved in heat and moisture conservation.

Alternative Animal Models of Aging Research.

Most research on mechanisms of aging is being conducted in a very limited number of classical model species, i.e., laboratory mouse (), rat (), the common fruit fly () and roundworm ().

Surprisingly long survival of premature conclusions about naked mole-rat biology.

Naked mole-rats express many unusual traits for such a small rodent. Their morphology, social behaviour, physiology, and ageing have been well studied over the past half-century. Many early findings and speculations about this subterranean species persist in the literature, although some have been repeatedly questioned or refuted.