To better understand the effects nanoplastics and other contaminants like flame retardants may exhibit on either the environment or the living organisms that inhabit it, the fulcrum spoke with U of O professor Jan Mennigen
zebrafish
The ability to see the development of the zebra fish’s nervous system under the microscope has provided an amazing advantage over other animal models of the spinal cord.
University of Ottawa researchers Kimberly Mitchell and Vance Trudeau have discovered a new hormone in zebrafish that could help combat human infertility. The researchers were accompanied by a group of students who observed Zebrafish mating patterns and were instrumental in completing the project.
For four days, Trudeau’s team exposed zebrafish to Prozac as embryos. Shortly after hatching, the fish were showing lower cortisol levels compared to those not exposed to the drug. When exposed to stress or new environments, the male fish responded less.
U of O biology professor Dr. Thomas Moon studies the effects of statin concentrations in the aquatic environment in order to look deeper into water pollution caused by prescription drugs.
