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By Craig Mackenzie


Purrfect hit: The mouse does a flip in the air after Dexter whacks it at the cat's home in Grass Valley, Nevada


Most people might have a rough day once in a while, but it will never be as bad as the one suffered by this little mouse.

He ended up becoming dish of the day for a playful cat, which showed off its ball skills by batting it into the air with such force it did a mid-air somersault.

This once-in-a-life-time picture was captured by Californian pet owner Angelo DeSantis when he arrived at his home in Grass Valley, Nevada.


Feline naughty: Dexter watches the mouse sail through the air before chasing after it to continue their Tom and Jerry game

Now what shall I do with you... Dexter gets ready to drop the mouse to see if the rodent wants to play


He found two-year-old cat Dexter in the garden toying with what he thought was a leaf...until he took a closer look.

Mr DeSantis, an amateur photographer, grabbed his camera to capture his black and white tabby in action.

He said: 'He was playing with it just like he does with his stuffed toys. I was lucky enough to capture Dexter throwing the mouse into the air.

'The poor mouse looked like it was doing some kind of gymnastics.'

At at one point Dexter teased the mouse by letting it go and then doing a nose dive to pin it back down.


Playing a game: Dexter keeps a close eye on the mouse as he drops it on its head


Plaything: Dexter tosses the mouse around in the garden just like he does with his toys


Got you: No wonder Dexter is feeling the cat's whiskers as he recaptures the mouse after their game


One of images also shows what appears to be Dexter putting the mouse into a headlock while wrestling it to the floor.

'He often brings mice home but I have never witnessed him playing with his food in such a way before,' said Angelo.


source:dailymail

By Paul Harris


Behind you! Larry the Downing Street cat prepares to pounce as the mouse pops its head up


The mouse was within a whisker of disaster.

Or rather he might have been, had the predator in pursuit been slightly sharper on his paws.

But this predator was Larry, the Downing Street cat. And Larry, bless him, is not Britain’s most ferocious mouser.


So when the visiting rodent strayed into the four-year-old moggy’s territory, it turned into a cat and mouse caper worthy of Tom and Jerry.

At first, Larry looked as if he meant business. Eyes narrowed, stalking silently along the lawn, he crept out of a garden to the right of the Number 10 doorstep.

What had he seen? Could it, at last, be the very quarry that Larry was brought in to hunt when the Camerons adopted him last February?

Suddenly it became clear it was indeed a mouse. The little rodent (let’s call him Mandy) rose momentarily above lawn-level. Larry pounced and, err… missed.

Now where is it? Larry searches the gulley as the mouse ducks out of sight


‘The mouse got away and was bouncing around trying to escape,’ said the photographer who took these pictures. ‘The cat was jumping around too, trying to catch it. It kept leaping out of Larry’s claws and managed to get down into a little gulley.’

A few seconds later, presumably thinking the coast was clear, Mandy popped his head up.

‘Larry took a swipe and missed,’ said the photographer.

‘Then the mouse ran into a bush and got away. The cat did follow but he didn’t come out again with a mouse between his teeth.’

Whether the encounter was truly a happy ending for the mouse is unclear. The alternative, of course, is too terrible to contemplate.

But news of Larry’s first documented kill would surely have warranted a press release, lobby briefing and triumphant TV interviews.

In fairness, Larry is said to have earned his keep before now.

Mr Cameron himself insists the cat has been helping to keep down what he called Number 10’s ‘mouse infestation’.


source:dailymail

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Eye to eye: This pair appeared to be toying with each other in the garden of amateur photographer Bill McIntosh


This real life Tom and Jerry were caught playing the ultimate game of cat and mouse with each other.

Just like the cartoon duo, each of them seems to be trying to outsmart the other one.
They were snapped by amateur photographer Bill McIntosh, who couldn't believe his eyes.

The 81-year-old said: 'When I first saw the cat I thought it had a bird in its mouth, but when I got closer to it, I could see it was a mouse.


Reaching out: The mouse remains perfectly still despite the cat eyeing him up


'The cat was playing with it running up and down trees, catching it in its claws and letting go.

'Eventually the mouse was exhausted - as you can see in the picture - and had a rest.'

The grey and white feline and the little wood mouse were captured close to Bill's house in Aberdeen.

The retired grandfather-of-five has been a budding photographer since he was 14.
But when he spotted the cat and mouse he was actually trying to take pictures of birds.

Bill added: 'The cat was occasionally looking at the mouse and then looking away as if to make the mouse think it had forgotten about it.

'Then the mouse would run away and the cat would catch it in its claws again.

'I left them playing together. I have no idea if the cat ate the mouse. I like to think it didn't.'


source: dailymail

By DAVID DERBYSHIRE

Mice are born with an innate love of singing in a series of chirps and whistles


For lovers of whimsy, the 1970s TV show Bagpuss was a delight, not least because it featured mice who sang in falsetto tones.

But it seems those animated rodents were closer to the real world than we imagined.
Scientists have discovered that far from being quiet, mice are actually born with an innate love of singing.

When a male comes across a potential mate, he bursts into a complex series of loud chirps and whistles that sound remarkably like birdsong.

Although the ultrasonic calls are too high-pitched for the human ear to pick up, the love songs allow females to weigh up the most suitable father for their offspring.


The 1970s TV show Bagpuss featured mice who sang in falsetto tones


Scientists have previously known that mice emit squeaks that are inaudible to humans. In 2005, U.S. researchers discovered that these noises are made up of repeated phrases just like the songs of birds and whales.

Since then, researchers have been trying to find out whether the songs are programmed into the brains of mice from birth, or whether they learn them from their mothers.

Now a team of Japanese scientists has found the answer. They used two strains of laboratory mice with distinct songs. Males from each strain were raised in litters of the opposite strain until they were weaned.

At the age of ten to 20 weeks their calls were recorded and analysed. Dr Takefumi Kikusui, who led the study, told journal PLoS that the mice sang the songs of their biological parents – not their foster mothers.

source: dailymail

By FIONA MACRAE

Scientists have created mice with two fathers – raising the possibility of gay couples having children who are genetically their own.

In experiments hailed as a ‘new form of mammalian reproduction’, American researchers used a complex series of steps to engineer ‘male eggs’ to be carried by female mice.

The creatures were then mated with normal males – leading to the creation of pups with two fathers.

The geneticists behind the controversial technique said it could potentially be used to improve livestock breeds or preserve endangered species. More provocatively, they claim that if the technique can be refined, ‘someday two men could produce their own genetic sons and daughters’.

But critics say such a scenario would sideline women from the creation of life – and a child’s health and wellbeing should always take precedence over an adult’s desire to be a parent, however strong.

The researchers from the MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Texas started by using a complicated series of steps to create ‘male eggs’.

They began with a male mouse, Father A, and used a sample of his skin to create stem cells – ‘master cells’ capable of turning into many other cell types. They then grew the stem cells over and over in a dish until some naturally lost their male Y chromosome.

These cells, which still had other DNA from Father A, were then injected into young embryos which were carried through pregnancy by surrogate mothers.

The pups that were born were chimeras – organisms consisting of two or more tissues of different genetic composition – and some produced eggs that had only the genetic material from Father A. In other words, they were ‘male eggs’.

The female mice with these ‘male eggs’ were then mated with another male – Father B. This produced babies, some of which were made entirely of genetic material inherited from Father A and Father B.


American researchers used a complex series of steps to engineer ‘male eggs’ to be carried by female mice (file picture)


Other stem cell experts and ethicists have questioned the need to go through such a complex process to create life.


Chris Mason, professor of regenerative medicine at University College London, said: ‘One day it may be possible in people, although the technical barriers are far higher than in mice, plus there are major safety issues.

‘The real question, is why would doctors want to use the technique for people? I would be extremely surprised if this scientific discovery had any impact on clinical medicine.’

Josephine Quintavalle, of campaign group Comment on Reproductive Ethics, said: ‘By the scientists’ own admission it was a weird project, but apart from doing it just for the hang of it, there does not seem to be any real justification for the research.

'We should worry when scientists in the area of mammalian reproduction seem to be beyond self-regulation.’

source: dailymail

By FIONA MACRAE

Stem cell research has created a muscle mouse that could pave the way for a muscle bulk pill for muscular dystrophy and the elderly


Scientists have created a ‘Mighty Mouse’ with muscles that stay powerful as it grows old.

The breakthrough paves the way for a pill to give pensioners the strength of their youth, cutting the risk of falls and fractures in old age.

Such a drug could also benefit the young who suffer with crippling muscle-wasting diseases such as muscular dystrophy.

The experiments used stem-cell technology to beef up the muscles of mice, stopping them from withering as they aged.

Young animals with injured legs were given injections of stem cells and small pieces of muscle from healthy animals. The researchers expected the stem cells, which play a key role in repairing wear and tear, to help heal the injury. But the results far exceeded their expectations.

Not only was the injured muscle repaired within days but it quickly bulked up, reaching more than twice its original size.

And instead of withering over time, it remained large and powerful for the rest of the animal’s life.

Bradley Olwin, of the University of Colorado, said: ‘We found that the transplanted stem cells are permanently altered and reduce the ageing of the transplanted muscle, maintaining strength and mass. This was a very exciting and unexpected result.’

Stem cells are ‘blank cells’ with the ability to turn into other cell types.

In this case, it is thought that the injection of stem cells and muscle fibres enhanced the natural process of repair in the injured leg.

The researchers are checking if human stem cells have a similar effect when injected into mice.

They said: ‘If those experiments produce positive results, it would suggest that transplanting human muscle cells is feasible.’

An easier option would be creating a pill that kick-starts the stem cells normally found in muscle, the journal Science Translational Medicine reports.

A ‘muscle pill’ could also prove popular with athletes, from amateurs keen to speed up the healing of sprains to professionals anxious to be fit enough for key races.

source :dailymail