Pigeon Power
What type of tissue were pigeons trained to distinguish as benign or malignant?
Breast tissue
Which organ is a common site of colorectal cancer metastasis?
The liver
In which structures do many high grade serous ovarian cancers originate?
The fallopian tubes
What structures gradually disappear from ovaries during reproductive aging?
Ovarian follicles
What term describes noncancerous tissue?
Benign
What reward did pigeons receive for correctly identifying tissue images?
Food reinforcement
What term describes cancer spreading from its original site to another part of the body?
Metastasis
Which two institutions developed the new cell collection device?
MIT and Johns Hopkins
What term describes increased fibrous tissue, including collagen deposition, in aging ovaries?
What term describes the production of new cells through cell division?
Cell proliferation
Approximately what accuracy did individual pigeons achieve after training?
85%
Which regulator showed increased activity in metastatic colorectal cancer cells?
YAP1
What type of cells does the new device aim to collect?
Living cells
What age group of mice represented the post reproductive stage in the study?
24 month old mice
Name one immune cell types found in increased numbers in older ovaries
T cells, macrophages, or giant cells
What was the name of the technique that combined decisions from four pigeons?
Flock sourcing
What normal cellular process do cancer cells exploit to support growth and migration?
Tissue regeneration or repair
What types of device uses flowing fluid to gently detach cells from tissue?
A 3D micro fluidic device
What method was used to examine changes in gene activity in the ovaries?
RNA sequencing
What type of diet was associated with increased ceramide producing enzyme activity in mice?
What did the pigeons’ ability to classify unfamiliar images demonstrate?
Generalization rather than simple memorization
Which signaling lipids were associated with increased YAP1 activation in the high fat diet findings?
Ceramides
What types of mechanical force is applied parallel to the tissue surface to detach cells?
Shear force or shear stress
Which biological functions became more prominent in the post reproductive ovary?
Immune and inflammatory functions
What two major categories of gene expression changed in post reproductive ovaries?
Reproductive associated gene expression decreased, while immune associated gene expression increased