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How planarians are affected by mouthwash and cough syrup

Mebane et al. | Nov 14, 2021

How planarians are affected by mouthwash and cough syrup

Since cough syrup and mouthwash are commonly used items and often end up flushed down the drain or toilet, they can eventually find their way into into freshwater waterways which can be harmful to many marine organisms, such as planarians (aquatic flatworms). To investigate the effects of these substances on planarians, the authors considered different concentrations of Listerine mouthwash and Robitussin syrup along with their active ingredients. By using a behavioral assay, they identified that the active ingredients of cough syrup detrimentally affect planarian behavior. They suggest that these findings could be used to guide disposal methods to lessen detrimental effects on aquatic life.

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Correlation of Prominent Intelligence Type & Coworker Relations

Rasmus et al. | Mar 29, 2022

Correlation of Prominent Intelligence Type & Coworker Relations

Ashley Moulton & Joseph Rasmus investigate 9 controversial categories of intelligence as predicted by Multiple Intelligence Theory, originally proposed in the mid-1980s. By collecting data from 56 participants, they record that there may not actually be a correlation between these categorical types when it comes to workplace atmosphere and project efficiency.

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Simulations of Cheetah Roaming Demonstrate the Effect of Safety Corridors on Genetic Diversity and Human-Cheetah Conflict

Acton et al. | Apr 02, 2018

Simulations of Cheetah Roaming Demonstrate the Effect of Safety Corridors on Genetic Diversity and Human-Cheetah Conflict

Ecological corridors are geographic features designated to allow the movement of wildlife populations between habitats that have been fragmented by human landscapes. Corridors can be a pivotal aspect in wildlife conservation because they preserve a suitable habitat for isolated populations to live and intermingle. Here, two students simulate the effect of introducing a safety corridor for cheetahs, based on real tracking data on cheetahs in Namibia.

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Simulating single versus cocktail antibiotic effects on the human gut microbiome

Patel et al. | Jul 19, 2026

Simulating single versus cocktail antibiotic effects on the human gut microbiome
Image credit: Volodymyr Hryshchenko

This study, uses SimulATe to model changes in microbial diversity and community structure upon administering a cocktail of antibiotics versus a single antibiotic. The authors hypothesized that antibiotic cocktails, particularly those combining broad-spectrum drugs like tetracyclines and trimethoprims, would cause a more significant reduction in gut microbial diversity compared to single-drug treatments. The findings confirmed a greater loss of microbial diversity with combinatorial treatments compared to single-drug treatments. While individual antibiotics dynamically reshaped the surviving species of the microbiome, antibiotic cocktails frequently cleared all species of the gut microbiome.

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