The electrical responses of axons were used to monitor the time-course of a change in the concentration of an ion species in the fluid bathing the axons in connectives of isolated cockroach nerve cords. Initial exposure of the connectives to sodium-deficient Ringer resulted in a depletion of extra-axonal sodium which was much slower than the restoration observed on return of the sodium Ringer. It is suggested that this asymmetry could result from a sodium reservoir which delays the initial decline. Subsequent net inward and outward movements of sodium ions were rapid and symmetrical. Unlike sodium ions, lithium ions were apparently unable to reach the axon surfaces following sodium depletion. In view of the similar properties of sodium and lithium ions in many biological systems it is therefore unlikely that the sodium movements were passive. Instead, the results support the idea of net sodium transport by the perineurial and/or glial elements.
In the field: an interview with Harald Wolf
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In our new Conversation, Harald Wolf talks about his fieldwork experiences working with desert ants in Tunisia to understand their navigation.
Propose a new Workshop
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Our Workshops bring together leading experts and early-career researchers from a range of scientific backgrounds. Applications are now open to propose Workshops for 2024, one of which will be held in a Global South country.
Julian Dow steps down and John Terblanche joins the JEB team
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After 15 years with the journal, Julian Dow from University of Glasgow, UK, is stepping down as a Monitoring Editor. We wish Julian all the best for the future and welcome John Terblanche, Stellenbosch University, South Africa, who is joining the team. Julian talks about his long association with The Company of Biologists and the journal and John tells us about his life and career in this News article.
The capture of crude oil droplets by filter feeders at high and low Reynolds numbers
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Researchers from the University of Montreal, Canada, reveal how tiny filter feeding barnacles and Daphnia entrap and consume minute droplets of crude oil, introducing the pollutant at the bottom of the food chain.
Patterns and processes in amphibious fish
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In their Review, Keegan Lutek, Cassandra Donatelli and Emily Standen discuss the biomechanics and neural control of terrestrial locomotion in amphibious fish. They explore how locomotor mode depends on body shape, physical constraints and phylogeny.
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