A 'mouse barn' such as the one shown here at the University of Utah is the heart of a new, sensitive toxicity test that allows house-type mice to compete in a seminatural environment so researchers can measure how exposure to sugar, medicines and other substances affects the mice in terms of their survival, reproduction and ability to hold territory. The blue tubs and green trays are nesting boxes, protected and unprotected, respectively. The feeding stations (vertical tubes) have sensor rings around them to detect transmitter chips implanted in male mice -- a way to determine which males hold which territories. Image Credit: Douglas Cornwall, University of Utah
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