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1500 questions
15
votes
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Are there specific features of birds that cats/small predators are attracted to?
I've recently heard a podcast, in which a professor describes one of the theories as to why we like abstract art. In his talk, he mentions an experiment with seagull chicks, in which the seagull chicks mistake a stick with a red dot for their…
Alex Stone
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Is the 'fluttering feeling' when under stress neurological or physical?
I'm sure that everyone is familiar with the sensation commonly known as "butterflies in the stomach". It is commonly experienced during periods of anxiety or stress (e.g. before high stakes job interviews or roller coaster rides) and apparently…
Rory M
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15
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Why does Penicillin only affect bacterial cell walls
I was quite fascinated by the feature Should Science Pull the Trigger on Antiviral Drugs—That Can Blast the Common Cold? in this month's Wired magazine.
They explain that Penicillin is effective at killing bacteria because it interferes with the…
oceanhug
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Is the appendix a vestigial structure in all vertebrates?
In humans the Appendix is a vestigial organ. Does it serve no apparent purpose in all the vertebrates that have one?
Gabriel Fair
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15
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2 answers
Does testosterone increase female sexual behavior?
According to my lecture notes testosterone generally increases sexual behavior.
Given that it's generally thought to be the male hormone I'm not quite sure whether they mean that it also increases sexual behavior in females.
What is the effect of…
Christian
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15
votes
5 answers
Why can cones detect color but rods can't?
I don't know if this question applies to only humans but why can cones see much greater detail than rods? Is it possible to have a rod that can detect light intensity and color?
Gabriel Fair
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15
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2 answers
Why is there more variation in proteins than genes?
The Genome of a cell or organism is the same as that of the entire organism. However, the proteome of an organism is much greater than that of each cell (unless the organism is unicellular).
How do you account for the presence of more variation…
Cloud
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15
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3 answers
Do animals suffer from "Human" mental disorders?
It is tragic, but apparently Killer whales and Dolphins can commit suicide too (e.g. here)...
This suggests they can become depressed. I wondered whether they were "clinically" depressed like many people are, and what other mental illnesses have…
hello_there_andy
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15
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3 answers
Do men have a higher genetic variance than women?
I've heard that with the distribution of our genome women have less variation on the bell curve than men.
Is there any basis for this? It was my understanding that women have more genetic variation than men due to having two X chromosomes and…
Sonny Ordell
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15
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3 answers
How to decide which is the correct scientific name for a particular species
To start with, I am not a person having sound knowledge in biology. When I started my search for phyto-chemicals in a particular family in the plant kingdom, I got confused. The scientific papers use a particular name, and when I searched in these 2…
Anil
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15
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2 answers
Can methylation from DNA get copied to RNA during transcription?
Methylation on gene-body and 3'UTRs if copied to mRNA can potentially regulate post-transcription modifications or expression regulation. But I'm not sure if they are maintained after transcription or if they get all de-novo methylation.
Garima Kushwaha
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15
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2 answers
Why is fructose not glucose the main energy source of sperm?
The seminal fluid contains fructose as the main energy source for the sperm and not glucose.
Why is fructose and not glucose the primary energy source for these
sperm, since glucose is the preferred energy source for most other
tissues?
stochastic13
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15
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2 answers
How do insects breathe?
Do ants even breathe? If they don't, how do they stay alive? On what resources do they depend upon to stay alive? How are they different form mammals?
user594
15
votes
5 answers
Can any protein be phosphorylated?
I am working with an Arabidopsis mutant with an F-box protein knocked out. It has been shown that F-box proteins targets must first be phosphorylated (Skowrya et al., 1997). I have heard of phosphorylation sites, but I can't find out whether every…
Rik Smith-Unna
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15
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Why do animals excrete excess nitrogen instead of recycling it?
I am aware of the different ways animals excrete excess nitrogen (mainly ammonium, urea, uric acid). My question is: why do we excrete excess nitrogen instead of recycling it? How can we explain that there has been no selection for more nitrogen…
tlorin
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