Dolphins get 40s flab, too. Duke Today, Aug. 13, 2021. If you feel like your metabolism just isn’t what it used to be, no matter how many hours you spend in the gym, dolphins can relate. A new study finds that bottlenose dolphins burn calories at a lower rate as they get older, just like we do. It’s the first time scientists have measured an age-related metabolic slowdown in another large-bodied species besides humans. Picked up by Earth.com and The Weather Channel.
Tag Archives: physiology
Researcher busts metabolism myths in new book
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Researcher busts metabolism myths in new book. Duke Research blog, March 24, 2021. Herman Pontzer explains where our calories really go, and what studying humanity’s past can teach us about staying healthy today.
Some unusual creatures are coming out of winter’s slumber. Here’s why scientists are excited.
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Some unusual creatures are coming out of winter’s slumber. Here’s why scientists are excited. Duke Today, March 12, 2021. Animals that hibernate in the wild rarely do so in zoos and sanctuaries, with their climate controls and year-round access to food. But now our closest hibernating relative has gone into true, deep hibernation in captivity for the first time at the Duke Lemur Center. Studying dwarf lemur torpor may help humans safely enter and emerge from suspended states, such as when cardiac surgeons cool patients to slow their hearts for life-saving surgery. Picked up by Inverse, Gizmodo, Smithsonian Magazine here and here, IFLScience and KHOU 11 News Houston.
Humans evolved to be the water-saving ape
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Humans evolved to be the water-saving ape. Duke Today, March 5, 2021. An ancient shift in our body’s ability to conserve water may have enabled early humans to venture farther from lakes and streams in search of food. So say the authors of a study that, for the first time, measures precisely how much water humans lose and replace each day compared with our primate cousins. Picked up by Inverse, MSN, UPI and Cosmos.
Is there a limit to human endurance? Science says yes
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Is there a limit to human endurance? Science says yes. Duke Today, June 5, 2019. From the Ironman to the Tour de France, some competitions test even the toughest endurance athletes. A study of energy expenditure during some of the world’s longest, most grueling sporting events suggests that no matter what the activity, everyone hits the same metabolic limit, likely due to constraints on the digestive tract’s ability to break down food. Picked up by The New York Times, NPR, The Guardian, The Scientist, New York Post, CNN, Jezebel, Daily Mail, Discover Magazine, Outside Magazine, Science Magazine, Cosmos, U.S. News & World Report, The Independent, Popular Science, ABC News, BBC News, Inverse, Men’s Health, Business Insider, Runner’s World, IFL Science, The Telegraph,Quartz, UPI, and New Scientist.