Biology Stack Exchange
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Why Do Most Humans & Cats Have Blue/Bluish Eyes At Birth?

I've read that the eye color at birth for most humans and for cats may not always be the the true genetic color at first. This is due to the lack of melanin in the iris. This makes sense as there is no light in the womb to stimulate the production…
kittycat
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Does Sansevieria trifasciata really absorb Carbon Dioxide at night?

There's a claim that Sansevieria trifasciata (Mother-in-law’s Tongue) generates oxygen from carbon dioxide during the night. This seems surprising to me: that process requires energy; plants generate O₂ from CO₂ through photosynthesis, requiring…
410 gone
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Are there any plants that fix their own nitrogen?

I know that most nitrogen is fixed through industrial processes and bacterial symbiotic relationships. However, are there any plants that can fix their own atmospheric nitrogen?
Dale
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Help identify this red/black Vietnamese insect

I found this strange insect while on Son Tra, Da Nang in central Vietnam. It was about 4cm long and although it was on the ground, was obviously capable of flying. I've never seen anything like this and would like help identifying it, please.…
jenbag
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Where do birds and squirrels go to die?

This may sound like a silly question, but I have been wondering about this for a while. I live in a suburban neighborhood with a lot of trees. A lot of trees means birds and squirrels. You can hear them all day and cant leave the house without…
bsayegh
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Are 'homeothermic' and 'endothermic' synonymous?

I got this question from the comments below this answer. So, do homeothermic and poikilothermic have the same meaning as endothermic and ectothermic, respectively? A user also suggested that the terms such as poikilothermic and homeothermic have…
Mesentery
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Name and Behaviour of Arthropods near a Cactus

Background Story I have a small, old cactus on my sunny, south-facing window sill in southern Germany. Since a few years, small black dots gathered around its pot. At first, I thought the dots were dust or sand and wiped them away. But the dots…
Socowi
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How do trees communicate in the "Wood Wide Web"?

I read on The New Yorker - The Secrets of the Wood Wide Web that trees communicate with each other through electrical impulses sent through their roots. Through these impulses they can ask other trees for some nutrient if they are getting it in…
Jasmeet singh
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Can you identify this fossil?

I found this fossil near a beach in Victoria, Australia. Can anyone identify it? It is roughly the size of an Australian 20 cent piece (~30 mm). I think it might have been washed down from an eroding cliff. I found another similar sized but less…
nacross
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How is the concept of species defined in asexual organisms?

In asexual organisms such as bacteria, archea and some fungi, as well as in some plants where asexual reproduction is the only reproductive strategy, how can we be unambiguous in defining if an organism belong to a different species from another or…
Saul Pierotti
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What are these (eggs?) ? ( Location - India )

The picture can be zoomed in on clicking Description: There are 24 of them, each ovoid, 1mm long and attached to the switch's frame by suction cups connected by tubes. They are secured to the base and couldn't be brushed off with a stick. Found…
Tyto alba
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What kinds of bacteria live in water bottles?

I've always heard not to re-use disposable plastic water bottles. According to this Huffington Post article, the reason is because: everyday wear and tear from repeated washings and reuse can lead to physical breakdown of the plastic, such as…
Display Name
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What portions of the brain have drastic changes in activation when we "sense" someone is there?

I was watching an old Arnold Schwarzenegger movie ("Commando") where he plays an elite soldier (surprise). An enemy tries to sneak up on him, and Arnold says that he smelled the other guy approaching. While this is possible, I find it to be more…
jonsca
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Do animal cells have vacuoles?

I overheard a rather heated argument about whether or not animal cells have vacuoles. One person said that they do, but they're much smaller than vacuoles in plant cells. The other person said they don't. While there is something there that acts…
Melanie Shebel
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Identification of colorful jelly-like marine creature

I'm on my trip to Gulangyu Island, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China. Today(4th February 2017), at 12:13 A.M., I saw a beach filled with huge rocks on which various dry shells reside. Among the shells, I spotted a colorful eye-like marine creature. To…
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