Ribosomes are essential macromolecules that convert mRNA to polypeptides. Ribosomes can be regulated by multiple mechanisms, including limiting the biogenesis of ribosomal subunits, sequestering 70S ribosomes, dimerizing 70S complexes into inactive 100S ribosomes, and "silencing" the 50S subunit to prevent the assembly of active 70S ribosomes. In this review, we focus on the protein that […]
During times of environmental stress, many animals enter torpor: a reversible protective physiological state typically characterised by reductions in core temperature, heart rate, and oxygen consumption. Species that naturally enter this hypothermic and hypometabolic state are tolerant of ischaemia-reperfusion injury. Consequently, there is a growing interest in utilising aspects of torpor for clinical applications such […]
Epigenetic clocks have transformed aging research by providing accurate molecular measures of biological age, but the factors regulating their pace across mammals remain unclear. This review proposes a hierarchy of regulation: species-level determinants that set intrinsic aging rate and lifespan, as well as individual-level modifiers acting within species. Comparative analyses show developmental tempo, rather than […]
The costs associated with monopolizing access to fertile females may render sneaking copulations advantageous and promote the evolution of alternative reproductive tactics. In particular, males of the Seba's short-tailed bat (Carollia perspicillata) can be described either as sneakers or as harem males. Bats exhibiting these different reproductive tactics diverge neither in size nor in weight. […]
Hibernation is a vital energy-saving strategy for mammalian hibernators, and pre-hibernation fat storage correlate with hibernation patterns and survival rate. As a typical fat-storing hibernator, the Daurian ground squirrel (Spermophilus dauricus) accumulates massive white adipose tissue (WAT) before hibernation. To examine the relationship between body fat reserves and hibernation patterns under laboratory conditions, in this […]