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1500 questions
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Can parts of a human brain be asleep independently of each other, or vary in the times required for them to fall asleep?
I know that some birds and marine animals can continue complicated activity (swimming, flying?) while one hemisphere of their brain is asleep.
I'm interested if human brain has some parts of it that can be asleep while others are awake? In other…
Alex Stone
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19
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What is this animal looking like an Axolotl?
My friend caught a strange looking animal and he's saying it is an axolotl. I keep telling him it's almost impossible, since they are almost extinct in their natural environment and he caught it in St-Larent River (Quebec, Canada)
Anyone have any…
Samuel Fyckes
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19
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2 answers
What makes learning more difficult as we age?
Why is it harder to adapt yourself to different cultures, places, and languages as you age? What makes breaking up with emotional patterns or ideas after years of habit more difficult?
Is there a natural process in which the neuron's synapses are…
PbxMan
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19
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Do all humans have an identical nucleotide sequence for certain proteins, e.g haemoglobin?
All humans have the same sort of proteins in our bodies. Take haemoglobin for example.
Is the gene coding for haemoglobin in my body identical to everyone else's gene or is there slight variations in the nucleotide sequence?
Are there examples of…
Burtyboy80
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19
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1 answer
What is the gas inside a Capsicum pepper, and how does it get there?
Every time I make fajitas, I cut into bell and chili peppers and notice how hollow they are. I always think to myself: what is the gas inside this pepper, and how does it get there?
Perhaps Capsicum peppers are porous. I did a little kitchen…
user3325
19
votes
3 answers
Are human fetuses more likely to be male?
Question: From a physiological point of view, when sex is determined in a human fetus, is it equally likely to be male or female?
Studies in this area typically measure age at birth, where the data would have already been biased. There's a slight…
Douglas S. Stones
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19
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4 answers
Are red blood cells prokaryotic?
After searching "do antibiotics impact the immune system" I found out that antibiotics target prokaryotic cells. It all made a lot of sense thinking about all those yogurt recommendations you get after taking antibiotics: the collateral damage is on…
James Well
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19
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3 answers
Where can I find historical data on world-wide ecology parameters?
I hope this is the right StackExchange forum for such a question.
I'm looking for large data sets on world-wide ecology parameters, such as annual temperatures by latitude, annual rainfall, CO₂ and O₂ concentration in the atmosphere and in the…
Tobia
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19
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2 answers
Why is a lack of oxygen fatal to cells?
In animals temporary anaerobic respiration leads to the breakdown of the pyruvate formed by glycolysis into lactate. The buildup of lactate in the bloodstream is accompanied by a large number of protons causing lactic acidosis, which is detrimental…
Rory M
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19
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Is it correct that the body only responds to the most painful stimulus?
I'm rather ashamed to say that this question is partly based on an episode of House.
I have previously heard that, if there are multiple simultaneous painful stimuli, the mind will only feel the sensation of pain from the most severe injury. A…
Rory M
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19
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1 answer
Which organism built this 2 cm long sandy tube?
I found this tube and wondered which animal built it.
It is 2 cm long and has an entrance/exit hole on one side. The material seems to be sandy.
I assume it is for breeding purposes.
Before finding the tube, I saw an unfamiliar kind of wasp around…
Arsak
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19
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2 answers
Why does getting soap in your eyes cause redness and irritation?
I am wondering why do eyes become red after getting soap in them. What is the cause behind it?
AksaK
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19
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3 answers
Is exon order always preserved in splicing?
Are there any cases in which the splicing machinery constructs an mRNA in which the exons are not in the 5' -> 3' genomic order? I'm interested any such cases, whether they involve constitutive or alternative splicing.
Daniel Standage
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19
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2 answers
Why do pink rain lilies flower only after rains, and not from being watered?
We have pink rain lilies (Zephyranthes carinata) in the garden. In my personal experience, I've found that they always flower, without exception, shortly after rains. However, there are roughly ten totally dry months each year. During this time,…
Fiksdal
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Why do we get runny noses in the cold?
The most annoying thing for me about being cold is a runny nose. Is there an advantage to having a runny nose when cold? What does having a runny nose achieve?
harpalss
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