mice news stories on Newser

Scientists Grow Human Hair on Mouse

Dustin Lushing — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:05:00 CDT

Bald people may have new hope for getting back those flowing locks. Japanese scientists have regenerated hair growth on bald mice, reports the Wall Street Journal . The researchers injected the follicle cells of a hairy mouse into the follicles of a bald mouse, and within three weeks, 74% of the...

Cancer Med Works Wonders Against Alzheimer's in Mice

Matt Cantor — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:39:05 CST

Scientists were "shocked and amazed" at the effects of a common cancer drug in battling Alzheimer's in mice. The disease causes a buildup of plaque in the brain—but just hours after mice received bexarotene, the plaque began to disappear and the mice got smarter, AFP reports. The drug increases...

High-Heeled Mice-Stompers Convicted of Cruelty

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:20:00 CST

Squeak. Crushing live mice with their high heels to satisfy a foot fetishist didn't turn out to be the cat's meow for a pair of female exhibitionists. They've been convicted of animal cruelty in a German court after making a video of their bloody exploits to sell to their creepy...

Iowa Bar Busted for Mouse Racing

Rob Quinn — Fri, 27 May 2011 09:28:50 CDT

Police acting on a tip busted an illegal mouse-racing operation in an Iowa tavern. The owner, cited for allowing gambling without a license as well as health code violations and serving alcohol to minors, says the rodent races, in which patrons levied bets of $1 to $2 per mouse, were...

Man Caught Planting Mice in Rival Pizzerias

Kevin Spak — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 13:10:05 CST

A Pennsylvania pizza shop owner was arrested yesterday after allegedly attempting to plant mice in a pair of rival shops, in what the local police chief termed an act of “food terrorism.” Nickolas Galiatsatos, 47, walked into a bathroom at Verona Pizza carrying a plastic bag, police tell My Fox...

Baldness Cure Discovered by Accident?

Rob Quinn — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 13:18:05 CST

Researchers studying stress hormones were surprised to stumble upon what appears to be a cure for baldness—at least in mice. Mice who had gone bald due to overproduction of a stress hormone were treated with a compound that blocks stress in the gut and then returned to cages where...

Rodents: The New Airport Bomb Sniffers

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 07:51:58 CST

Which would you rather be exposed to: those pesky new “naked” airport scanners , or … rodents? In Israel, mice are being trained to sniff out bombs and drugs, in a system researchers say will be more accurate than pat-downs, x-rays, or sniffer dogs. The mice would be hidden in a...

'Brown Fat' Shots Could Beat Obesity

Rob Quinn — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 05:27:08 CST

Scientists looking into ways to fight fat with fat say they've made a breakthrough that could yield effective treatments for obesity. Researchers experimenting on obese mice believe they've found a way to turn white fat cells into energy-burning brown fat cells, io9 reports. Converted cell cultures injected into the mice...

Scientists Reverse Aging in Mice

Matt Cantor — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 12:34:05 CST

Harvard scientists have reversed the aging process in mice, injecting them with an enzyme that healed tissue and reportedly spurred the growth of new neurons in their brains. Now they’re wondering if they can apply some of these benefits to humans. But differences between human and mice bodies make things...