Research into a common environmental germ that can cause severe infections in people and animals has raised concern that horses are starting to develop antibiotic resistance towards it. The University of the Sunshine Coast study examined the prevalence of the bug P. aeruginosa in Australian wild birds, native wildlife, livestock and domestic animals.
The humble Y chromosome may be the smallest chromosome in the mammalian genome (and getting even smaller), but it is mighty: Genes on the Y chromosome are critical for fertility in males. In a new study in the journal Current Biology, researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School have studied deer mice to outline how the Y chromosome defends itself against decay by acquiring gene families, holding its own to maintain fertility.