Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Survey data from 1,187 US biomedical researchers using vertebrate animals reveal diverse perspectives within the animal research community on issues of reproducibility and rigor, attrition rates in drug development, research oversight, and public engagement.
This protocol details the fabrication and application of a 3D-printed device for facilitating lateral tail-vein injection in mice. The tail vein–illuminating ring comprises a light-emitting diode (LED) lamp box on the side; once the tail has been illuminated by the LED, the vein is more clearly visible along the lateral side of the mouse tail.
In this article, the authors characterize a new swine model of invasive pneumococcal pneumonia in mechanically ventilated pigs to mimic clinical conditions of critically ill patients.
Enchytraeus crypticus is a soil-dwelling annelid worm that has been used over the past two decades as an ecotoxicology model. Here, Mónica Amorim and colleagues present the first genome for E. crypticus. The authors identify a number of expanded gene families, including several involved with innate immunity.
In this article, the authors compared 24-h spontaneous locomotor activity in three different mouse strains (two inbred strains and one outbred strain) over a period of 2 months by using an automated recording home-cage device. Analysis of different metrics revealed strain-specific spontaneous locomotor patterns.
Long et al. examined the gut microbiome of C57BL/6 mice from two production sites of three different vendors upon receipt, and as the mice adapted to the new vivarium at the University of Connecticut Health Center. Bacterial proportional abundance varied among mice from each vendor, and mice from all vendors exhibited changes in microbial profiles over time. These findings support the need to consider the microbiome as a potential source of variation in mouse studies.
In this article, the authors evaluate the suitability and effectiveness of their micropipette-guided drug administration method as an alternative and non-invasive administration strategy for clozapine-N-oxide in chemogenetic studies using designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs.
A new rat model of brainstem ischemia is described. Selective ligation of four points of the lower basilar artery causes a localized brainstem ischemic lesion in adult rats, resulting in hemiparesis, as well as abnormal posture, body balance and locomotion.
Preece, Alghadban et al. explore the use of naturally sterile hybrids as an alternative to vasectomized males for the production of pseudopregnant female mice for embryo transfer. Sterile hybrids can contribute to the refinement of the procedure by avoiding a surgical intervention associated with pain and discomfort.