Nuno Miguel Gonçalves

The same biology that makes some dogs fearful or highly trainable may influence human emotional and cognitive traits.

A far stretch from thinking you can sense your dogs feelings - and who wasn’t - but once again proof that our bond with animals is actually imprinted in our DNA.

#Genetics

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Golden Retriever genes linked to anxiety, aggression, and intelligence in humans Scientists studying 1,300 golden retrievers have uncovered genetic clues explaining why some dogs are more anxious, energetic, or aggressive than others. Remarkably, several of the same genes linked t...

Dogs and humans: shared genes, shared emotions? 🐶
New research from University of Cambridge shows that genes linked to anxiety, aggression, and intelligence in golden retrievers are also found in humans.

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Science doesn’t skip steps. And that’s why it works.

#Transplantation #ReproductiveMedicine #AnimalResearch

How do you safely transplant a womb? And make it ready for gestation?

A UK baby has been born after the mother received a uterus transplant — but this milestone rests on decades of research in rodents, pigs, sheep and non-human primates before human trials began.

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Ready for dietary advice? Not quite yet, but exciting nonetheless.

#Metabolism #Nutrition #AnimalResearch

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Scientists discover diet that tricks the body into burning fat without exercise Researchers found that cutting two amino acids common in animal protein—methionine and cysteine—made mice burn significantly more energy. The boost in heat production was nearly as powerful as constan...

Can diet make your body burn calories like you’re in the cold? 🥶

In mice, lowering just two amino acids increased heat production by ~20%!!! — without eating less or moving more.

And that minor changes activates beige fat, known for burning energy when we shiver.

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That changes how we think about pets, zoos and farms. And maybe even in scientific settings.

#AnimalWelfare #Science #AnimalBehaviour

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Why Measuring Animal Joy Could Change How We Treat Pets, Zoos, and Farms Animal welfare science is shifting from solely reducing suffering to measuring positive emotions like joy and pleasure. Research indicates that assessing these positive states in pets, zoos, and farms...

Is good animal welfare just the absence of suffering?
Researchers are now measuring positive states like play, curiosity and social engagement, not just stress and disease.

Animals don’t only avoid pain, they seek rewarding experiences.

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After decades of studies in pigs, sheep and other animals, knowledge is now flowing in many different ways.

#OneHealth #VeterinaryMedicine #Cardiology

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Can human heart failure interventions work in dogs? Mitral regurgitation is the most prevalent valvular heart disease in humans. It's also common among dogs, especially older and smaller breed dogs. In both species, the mitral valve fails to close tigh...

Can a human heart repair technique help dogs? 🐶❤️

Cardiologists in Colorado are adapting a minimally invasive valve procedure used in people to treat heart disease in dogs — a condition that looks almost identical across species.

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Evolution leaves clues in movement. We just need to pay attention, especially when designing habitats for animals.

#Evolution #AnimalBehaviour #Science

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How do primates climb down trees differently from other mammals? 🌳
Most mammals descend head-first. Regardless of your own childhood experiences, primates often go sideways or tail-first — and that difference may help explain how upright posture evolved.

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Organoids, organ-on-chip and computational models are advancing fast, but often add most value alongside animal studies.

The programme echoed this integration and promoted less polarisation and more validation-led, fit-for-purpose choices.

#AnimalResearch

Where are we heading with animal research and NAMs?

Last week I was back at NOVA Medical School for The #3Rs Framework for Intelligent Use of In Vitro, In Vivo, and #NAMs in Lisbon.

I spoke about communicating why animal research and NAMs need to work hand in hand.

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Is early Multiple Sclerosis damage always permanent?

This study using zebrafish, mice and human tissue suggests early myelin swelling can sometimes reverse. Nerve activity seems to influence that process. This could point to a possible early treatment window for MS.

#Neuroscience #AnimalResearch

What happens when cameras enter a primate research centre? 📺

Dutch TV followed researchers and animal care teams at the @bprc-eu.bsky.social - right as funding is slipping away. If people see how studies are actually done and the level of care and rigour involved the conversation changes.
#Science

The end of animal testing? Both the UK and US Governments have pledged to end research using animals, but is such a goal realistic? And how might it change medical research? Talha Burki reports.

Progress needs science, not political slogans.

#AnimalResearch #SciencePolicy #NAMs

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The end of animal testing? Both the UK and US Governments have pledged to end research using animals, but is such a goal realistic? And how might it change medical research? Talha Burki reports.

Can we simply “end” animal research?

I spoke for @eara.eu to @thelancet.com about the UK and US plans to phase it out.

Investing in NAMs is crucial, but defunding essential animal research before alternatives are viable risks outsourcing it to places with weaker regulation and standards.

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A jellyfish the size of a school bus: The new scientific discovery in the Argentine Sea The ‘Stygiomedusa gigantea’ was recorded at a depth of 250 meters. Its four arms can reach up to 10 meters in length

A jellyfish the size of a school bus? 🪼🤯
Scientists exploring the Argentine deep sea just found one along with the largest known reef there.

Reminder: we’ve mapped the Moon better than parts of our own ocean. Also found down there? Plastic. Even a VHS tape. Discovery and human waste, side by side.

Could a moth replace some rodents in research? 🦋

Scientists at the @exeter.ac.uk have gene-edited wax moths (!) for the first time — meaning they could now be used in advanced infection studies.

This is how reduction really happens: by building better complementary models.

#AnimalResearch #3Rs

What else might extreme (and comparative) biology teach us about ageing? 🦈

#AnimalResearch

How Greenland sharks defy aging When it comes to bucking the biological ails of aging, humans could learn something from Greenland sharks.

Greenland sharks can live for centuries and some of their organs seem to resist ageing in unexpected ways!

Their eyes show strong DNA repair and little age-related damage. Their hearts, despite scarring, keep working.
Seems like longevity isn’t about avoiding damage. It may be about coping with it.

Not a cure yet, but an impressive example of how smarter strategies in preclinical research can open new doors for very hard-to-treat and fatal cancers.

#CancerResearch #AnimalResearch #Science

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What happens when cancer is attacked from several angles at once?

Researchers in Spain eliminated pancreatic cancer in multiple mouse models using a three-drug combination — and kept it from coming back for months.

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By listening to patient and their lived experience, scientist had revelations about their research and how it can include studies that address the symptoms that most affect them.

THIS is what patient engagement actually looks like.

#LongCOVID #PatientEngagement #AnimalResearch

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Yesterday in Madrid, patients with long Covid, were welcomed to @cnb-csic.bsky.social to learn more about the research done for their condition and how animals play a big part in it. But that was just the start.

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If other species can evolve cooperation over domination, what conditions do we need to do the same? Anyone?

#AnimalResearch

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What animals can teach us about overcoming tyranny Some animal societies are ruled by despots with an iron fist, while others seem naturally egalitarian – and they all have lessons for us.

What can animal societies teach us about power, despotism and resistance?


From tyrannical mice and baboons to egalitarian primates like the muriqui, biology shows that hierarchy is not inevitable and that environment, resources and mobility matter in creating balanced social interactions.

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Veterinarians at the core of animal research: reflections from EARA Webinar EARA’s second webinar, “The Role of Veterinarians in Animal Research”, held on 27 January 2026 for almost 800 live participants, brought together veterinarians from Europe and North America to explore...

Veterinarians are fundamental to ethical and robust research.

How do we ensure this expertise is better recognised in science and policy debates?

#AnimalResearch #VeterinaryScience

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Nearly 800 people joined @eara.eu 's webinar on the role of veterinarians in animal research.

It was a privilege to help frame a discussion that made visible an often unseen role, at the crossroads of animal welfare, ethics, regulation and scientific quality.

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