Scientist Michael Zasloff from Georgetown University Medical Center has published a letter in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology describingthe unusual healing power dolphins have and speculating that it could teach us lessons or perhaps yield blueprints for making new helpful medicines.
“You have an animal that has evolved in the ocean without hands or legs, which swims faster than we can, has intelligence that perhaps equals our social and emotional complexity, and its healing is almost alien compared to what we are capable of,” he wrote. (Source: MNN.com)
When they suffer injuries to their skin and tissue, dolphins do not bleed to death because there is some mechanism that allows them to reduce the flow of the blood to the affected area. Also, their skin and blubber contain anti-microbial compounds that prevent infections.
Dolphins have been referenced in another research project for their capacity for not developing cervical cancer, though they can harbor a variety of HPV co-infections just like humans can. Studying the dolphin immune system might allow researchers to better understand how cervical cancer could be reduced in humans.
Zasloff has previously studied frogs and synthesize an anti-biotic from frogs skins. He also has studied dogfish sharks to produce the anti-biotic squalamine.
Recapture that old magic with the “Guinness World Records 2012 Edition.” There’s plenty of weird and gnarly stuff to entertain you, and if you are an animal lover, you will get a special kick out of the great pet records too.
Harbor is an 8-year-old purebred black and tan coonhound from Colorado U.S.A. whom you will find in this latest edition of the Guinness book. What exactly did Harbor do to earn a place among Guinness’s world-record holders? Just look at the photo! At 31.11 centimetres and 34.29 centimetres, Harbor’s dog ears are the longest in the world!
According to Harbor’s owner, Jennifer Wert, Harbor’s ears bring him almost constant attention from strangers, and he is often asked to stop for photos. “Most days I forget how oddly long his ears are,” Wert says. “He’s a phenomenon in the world and he creates smiles wherever we go.”
Interestingly, Harbor’s ears are not designed for super hearing, but for super smelling. When Harbor walks about, his enormous ears flap around in a way that sweeps scents toward his nose for enhanced olfactory detection.
To see Harbor and other record-breaking animals, check out Guinness World Records 2012 eBook version on November 28.
