Mouse
hide30 known species
A mouse (plural mice) is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (Mus musculus). It is also a popular pet. The American white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) and the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) also sometimes live in houses. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles. They are known to invade homes for food and occasionally shelter.
Although mice may live up to two and a half years in captivity, the average mouse in the wild lives only about four months,[citation needed] primarily owing to heavy predation. Cats, wild dogs, foxes, birds of prey, snakes and even certain kinds of insects have been known to prey heavily upon mice. Nevertheless, because of its remarkable adaptability to almost any environment, and its ability to live commensally with humans, the mouse is regarded to be the second most successful mammalian genus living on Earth today, after humans.
Mice can at times be harmful rodents, damaging and eating crops and spreading diseases through their parasites and feces. In western North America, breathing dust that has come in contact with mouse feces has been linked to the deadly hantavirus.[citation needed]. The original motivation for the domestication of cats is thought to have been for their predation of mice and their relatives, the rats.[citation needed]
Primarily nocturnal animals, mice compensate for their poor eyesight with a keen sense of hearing, and rely especially on their sense of smell to locate food and avoid predators.
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News tagged with mice
Metal Deficit in Mouse Brain Plaques Guides Direction of Human Alzheimer's Disease Research
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Nov 04, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Minuscule plaques in the brains of mice with Alzheimer's disease contain much less metal than the brains of affected humans, according to a study conducted at the NSLS. This surprising finding ...
Researchers have immune cells running in circles
Nov 02, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine researchers have identified the important role a protein plays in the body's first line of defense in directing immune cells called neutrophils toward ...
Of mice and men: Stem cells and ethical uncertainties
Oct 29, 2009 |
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The recent creation of live mice from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) not only represents a remarkable scientific achievement, but also raises important issues, according to bioethicists at The Johns Hopkins University's ...
Th17 cells summon an immune system strike against cancer (w/ Video)
Oct 29, 2009 |
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A specific type of T helper cell awakens the immune system to the stealthy threat of cancer and triggers an attack of killer T cells custom-made to destroy the tumors, scientists from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson ...
Moderate exercise in mice boosts immune system, diminishes flu's severity
Oct 28, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- It appears as though exercise pain does have plenty of gain when it comes to fighting off the severe effects of the flu. A new study by five Iowa State University researchers on mice infected ...
Protein critical for insulin secretion may be contributor to diabetes
Oct 26, 2009 |
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A cellular protein from a family involved in several human diseases is crucial for the proper production and release of insulin, new research has found, suggesting that the protein might play a role in diabetes.
Bone formation from embryonic stem cells
Oct 22, 2009 |
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Jojanneke Jukes of the University of Twente, The Netherlands, has succeeded in growing bone tissue with the help of embryonic stem cells for the first time.
Light at night linked to symptoms of depression in mice
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Oct 21, 2009 |
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Too much light at night can lead to symptoms of depression, according to a new study in mice. Researchers found that mice housed in a lighted room 24 hours a day exhibited more depressive symptoms than did similar mice that ...
Immune cells predict outcome of West Nile virus infection
Oct 12, 2009 |
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Infection with West Nile virus (WNV) causes no symptoms in most people. However, it can cause fever, meningitis, and/or encephalitis. What determines the outcome of infection with WNV in different people has not been determined. ...
Suppressing a gene in mice prevents heart from aging, preserves its function
Oct 12, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists prevented age-related changes in the hearts of mice and preserved heart function by suppressing a form of the PI3K gene, in a study reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Scientists encouraged by new mouse model's similarities to human ALS
Oct 12, 2009 |
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A new mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) closely resembles humans with the paralyzing disorder, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report.
Study uses sophisticated genetic engineering to improve insulin-producing beta cells
Oct 07, 2009 |
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One of the biggest mysteries about diabetes is why specialized cells in the pancreas stop secreting insulin, which the body needs in order to store glucose from food. A team from the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario ...
NEDD9 protein supports growth of aggressive breast cancer
Oct 02, 2009 |
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Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center have demonstrated that a protein called NEDD9 may be required for some of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer to grow. Their findings, based on the study of a mouse model of breast ...
Longer-lived, healthier mice offer promise of drug treatments for age-related diseases
Oct 01, 2009 |
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Scientists have managed to extend the lifespan of mice by up to a fifth and reduce the number of age-related diseases the animals suffer. The research, which involved blocking a key molecular pathway, mimics ...
The making of the male brain (estrogen required)
Oct 01, 2009 |
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Territorial behavior in male mice might be linked to more "girl-power" than ever suspected, according to new findings at UCSF. For the first time, researchers have identified networks of nerve cells in the brain that are ...
