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1500 questions
14
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1 answer
How does a jumping spider manage to "jump" on the ceiling?
I just witnessed a small jumping spider jump on some kind of louse or bed bug on the ceiling. How does it do that without falling? I have yet to find a high-speed-camera video of a jumping spider jumping on a ceiling.
My hypothesis is that the…
Kal
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14
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4 answers
Most suitable biodiversity index
I am conducting an investigation into the effect of two different grass management techniques (grazing vs. machine-mowing) upon floral biodiversity.
I have collected my data and now need to process it in a way that will yield meaningful and valid…
Thomas Russell
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Average dimensions of the human back (anthropometry)
I am wondering if anyone can point me to (a scientific source that provides) the estimates of the dimensions (length x width) of the human back?
I am specifically interested in the dimensions (length * width, or surface) of the lower back of the…
AliceD
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14
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1 answer
Paralogous genes in genome-wide association studies?
Has anybody tested if paralogous genes are over-represented among the genes identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS)?
For example, if a GWAS study finds 200 genes associated to the disease/trait, and a number X of those can be classified…
yahoo301503
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Grapefruits and CYP3A4
Grapefruit juice contains furanocoumarins, which irreversibly inhibit CYP3A4. For this reason, when one is taking certain medications it is necessary to not eat grapefruits because the inhibition of CYP3A4 can reduce how much of the drug is…
Michael
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14
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2 answers
What is the human ear's temporal resolution?
What is the smallest sound duration that the human can hear? In other words, what is the lower duration limit for a sound to be translated into electrical signals by the ear?
Suppose the human ear can discern or distinguish between 18 kHz and 20 kHz…
joseluisbz
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14
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3 answers
Why did humans become bipedal?
Somewhere in evolutionary history homo started walking upright and became bipedal. You hear these hypotheses that, by walking upright, they could see better across the grassy savannas to escape predators, find food, find fellow humans etc. However,…
AliceD
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14
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3 answers
Hoechst or DAPI for nuclear staining?
When is it best to use Hoechst vs. DAPI for nuclear staining? They seem to be very similar on paper. Are there situations where one is clearly preferable?
luispedro
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14
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5 answers
Do we get 1/4 of our genes from each grandparent?
I know that we get half of our genes from each parent, but does it necessarily mean we get 1/4 of our genes from each grandparent? Or is it possible that we might get say 30% from one grandparent, 20% from other, 15% from another, 35% from another?
Frank
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14
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3 answers
Defining paper(s) in epigenetics
For someone who is interested in learning about the discovery of epigenetics, which are the foundational defining papers in the area?
Daniel Standage
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14
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1 answer
How big should the human population be, as predicted by body mass?
I would guess there is a theory in biology which states that the population size for a given species is inversely proportional to the body mass of individuals in that species. In other words, there are zillions of ants, billions of mice, millions…
SlowMagic
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2 answers
Is our color vision calibrated to sky, vegetation, and blood?
Our color vision is based on three types of receptors (cones) which are sensitive to three distinct locations on the spectrum: 420–440 nm, 534–555 nm, and 564–580 nm. We label them "red", "green", and "blue", but these names are arbitrary. …
SlowMagic
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14
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3 answers
Databases for gene regulatory network graphs?
What databases are available for gene regulatory network graphs starting from a given gene? For example, starting from p53 gene, where can I find a gene regulatory network image that can be exported or embedded to another website?
yahoo301503
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14
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2 answers
Why can you not tickle yourself?
It's the age old question, why can't we tickle ourselves? If you rub your fingers along your skin, sure there's sensation but you don't break down into a laughing fit (at least I don't :P), if someone else does it to you, you're rolling around on…
Him_Jalpert
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14
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2 answers
Did animals evolve from plants?
Did animals evolve from plants? Did animals' ancestors have chloroplasts in their cells?
Anixx
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