I had a beloved toy when I was 8, a plastic pirate ship. When it was broken, we set it aflame from our family’s boat and sent it off. I cried. Viking funerals are very moving.
Fish on Prozac: a simple, noninvasive physiology laboratory investigating the mechanisms of aggressive behavior in Betta splendens.
AbstractThe neuromodulator serotonin is an important regulator of aggressive behavior in vertebrates. Experimentally increasing synaptic levels of serotonin with fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, has been shown to reliably decrease the expression of aggressive behavior. Here, we describe a method by which fluoxetine can be noninvasively administered to male Betta splendens (an attractive model for the study of aggressive behavior) and describe a simple laboratory exercise that allows students to experimentally investigate the physiological mechanisms of aggressive behavior. We demonstrate that relatively short-term exposure (3 h) of male bettas to as little as 3 microg/ml of fluoxetine-treated aquarium water is sufficient to reduce the expression of specific aggressive behaviors. We emphasize the physiological concepts that can be addressed with this exercise, including the role of the serotonergic system in regulating aggression, and the interplay of environmental contaminants and physiology in regulating the expression of behavior. We also highlight important aspects of experimental design. This exercise can be flexibly altered to accommodate one or several laboratory periods. It is also low cost, is low impact to the animals, and requires minimal preparation time for instructors.
Something seemed fishy, but I didn’t get it at first.
Then it hit me, like a full grown chub mackerel dropped out of a third story window.
He wasn’t just a betta. He was the one called The Master Betta.
Not much to look at, you might think he was a small fry.
But the world, to him, was a small, polluted puddle where he was the king.
It was all a sick, twisted game. All of it. The Chinese fire drills on parade day, the missing chew toys at the dog park, even the seeming harmless chalk graffiti that had provided coordination for the danse macabre of red herrings.
He was running it all.
We were all just prawns in his game, useful but ultimately expendable.
And the tempura wok was reaching the perfect temperature.
Just thinking about it was enough to purge my mud vein.
Since today’s cartoon is about aggressive MALE fish, this might be relevant. If not, it’s still worth reading about. Be sure to watch the video in the story as it shows the reactions of passengers, mostly men, to the uncomfortable seat.-—————————————————————————- UN Women and Mexico City officials have installed temporary “penis seats” on their subways in an effort to bring more awareness to men of the sexual harassment women often face on public transportation. http://tinyurl.com/l9a78ny
I know where you can get your hands on a nice little Viking ship model. But you will still have to provide your own rich ceremonial funeral gifts and fiery conflagration. That’s fair, isn’t it?
Randy B Premium Member about 7 years ago
Use the right name. It’s mo’ betta that way.
(Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens.)
Randy B Premium Member about 7 years ago
Tie a chunk of sodium metal to his tiny floating corpse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODf_sPexS2Q
INGSOC about 7 years ago
Please accept my deepest potential condolences..
Superfrog about 7 years ago
So ….Vikings were flushed?
Mad-ge Dish Soap about 7 years ago
A family member makes it legally possible.
Brass Orchid Premium Member about 7 years ago
I used to have a Betta.
His name was Sparky.
I taught him to swim upside down.
But then I got tired of him.
Happy, happy, happy!!! Premium Member about 7 years ago
…i see a little paper boat…
The Old Wolf about 7 years ago
I had a beloved toy when I was 8, a plastic pirate ship. When it was broken, we set it aflame from our family’s boat and sent it off. I cried. Viking funerals are very moving.
Brass Orchid Premium Member about 7 years ago
One fish
Two fish
Red fish
Blue fish
They only display their fins fully when engaged in rivalry.
They are able to live in stagnant pools and take oxygen from bubbles they sip from the surface.
coltish1 about 7 years ago
Well of course, Viking traditions are de rigeur for fish from Siam.
3hourtour Premium Member about 7 years ago
…who knew that this was actually a thing?…
…i blacken fish sometimes…does that count?…
…when we stop making heroes of those whom die, there will be less war…
…Dott & Ditto did a couple of panels on this once…
…or was it Calvin and Hobbes in a perpetual rerun loop?…shoot…I bet it was HTH…
…I am intrigued by this Eastern European looking woman …
…tell me something good…tell me-tell me-tell me…
…tell me that you like it-ooh yeah…
Radish the wordsmith about 7 years ago
Betta than nothing.
William Neal McPheeters about 7 years ago
Ba-da-betta-bing!!!
Thomas R. Williams about 7 years ago
Ease up on the Betta-blockers
painedsmile about 7 years ago
Fish on Prozac: a simple, noninvasive physiology laboratory investigating the mechanisms of aggressive behavior in Betta splendens.
AbstractThe neuromodulator serotonin is an important regulator of aggressive behavior in vertebrates. Experimentally increasing synaptic levels of serotonin with fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, has been shown to reliably decrease the expression of aggressive behavior. Here, we describe a method by which fluoxetine can be noninvasively administered to male Betta splendens (an attractive model for the study of aggressive behavior) and describe a simple laboratory exercise that allows students to experimentally investigate the physiological mechanisms of aggressive behavior. We demonstrate that relatively short-term exposure (3 h) of male bettas to as little as 3 microg/ml of fluoxetine-treated aquarium water is sufficient to reduce the expression of specific aggressive behaviors. We emphasize the physiological concepts that can be addressed with this exercise, including the role of the serotonergic system in regulating aggression, and the interplay of environmental contaminants and physiology in regulating the expression of behavior. We also highlight important aspects of experimental design. This exercise can be flexibly altered to accommodate one or several laboratory periods. It is also low cost, is low impact to the animals, and requires minimal preparation time for instructors.
Brass Orchid Premium Member about 7 years ago
Something seemed fishy, but I didn’t get it at first.
Then it hit me, like a full grown chub mackerel dropped out of a third story window.
He wasn’t just a betta. He was the one called The Master Betta.
Not much to look at, you might think he was a small fry.
But the world, to him, was a small, polluted puddle where he was the king.
It was all a sick, twisted game. All of it. The Chinese fire drills on parade day, the missing chew toys at the dog park, even the seeming harmless chalk graffiti that had provided coordination for the danse macabre of red herrings.
He was running it all.
We were all just prawns in his game, useful but ultimately expendable.
And the tempura wok was reaching the perfect temperature.
Just thinking about it was enough to purge my mud vein.
prettyfeet about 7 years ago
Since today’s cartoon is about aggressive MALE fish, this might be relevant. If not, it’s still worth reading about. Be sure to watch the video in the story as it shows the reactions of passengers, mostly men, to the uncomfortable seat.-—————————————————————————- UN Women and Mexico City officials have installed temporary “penis seats” on their subways in an effort to bring more awareness to men of the sexual harassment women often face on public transportation. http://tinyurl.com/l9a78ny
Sisyphos about 7 years ago
I know where you can get your hands on a nice little Viking ship model. But you will still have to provide your own rich ceremonial funeral gifts and fiery conflagration. That’s fair, isn’t it?
Mad-ge Dish Soap about 7 years ago
Sign of the times!!