I Love It When Humans Describe Humans.

I love it when humans describe humans.

Conservation status: Least Concern

What you all think about this? I think it brilliant. The cat can fulfill his desire to hunt and get some food.

“Let me be frank with you” Frank says, down on one knee. In his hand he offers you an engagement ring. “I want to be Frank with you for the rest of our lives.”

Scientist hashtags and memes are some of the best stuff on the internet.

Scientists celebrate the weird world of animal genitalia with #junkoff

It's the latest hilarious (and educational) hashtag to come out of Twitter's scientific community.

Explore the beautiful and terrifying world of animal genitalia–in pictures posted by scientists on Twitter. Science journalist Rachel Feltman has collected a few favorites in this Washington Post article, but follow the #junkoff tag for more bizarre private parts from the natural world…

(No, but really...)

PLUTO 2015

NASA

Link between intestinal bacteria, depression found

Scientists from the Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute at McMaster University have discovered that intestinal bacteria play an important role in inducing anxiety and depression.

The new study, published in Nature Communications, is the first to explore the role of intestinal microbiota in the altered behavior that is a consequence of early life stress.

“We have shown for the first time in an established mouse model of anxiety and depression that bacteria play a crucial role in inducing this abnormal behaviour,” said Premysl Bercik, senior author of the paper and an associate professor of medicine with McMaster’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine. “But it’s not only bacteria, it’s the altered bi-directional communication between the stressed host – mice subjected to early life stress – and its microbiota, that leads to anxiety and depression.”

G. De Palma, P. Blennerhassett, J. Lu, Y. Deng, A. J. Park, W. Green, E. Denou, M. A. Silva, A. Santacruz, Y. Sanz, M. G. Surette, E. F. Verdu, S. M. Collins, P. Bercik. Microbiota and host determinants of behavioural phenotype in maternally separated mice. Nature Communications, 2015; 6: 7735 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8735

This study is the first to explore the role of intestinal microbiota in the altered behavior that is a consequence of early life stress. Credit: © Martinan / Fotolia