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1500 questions
14
votes
1 answer
Why can't a corn cob have 13 rows of seeds?
Every time before eating a corn, I count its lines. I would always find 12 or 14 rows of seeds, but never 13.
Is there any biological/scientific reason behind this?
user31782
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14
votes
5 answers
Why has grey hair evolved?
A vast majority of humans get at least some grey hair as they age. As far as I know this applies to both genders and all races. Presumably this means that at least some grey haired humans have noticeable reproductive advantage, or maybe they had it…
A-K
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14
votes
1 answer
Can anyone identify this bird?
Can anyone identify this bird: it looks like a zebra finch but they are not native to UK are they?
Photo taken from my garden in Shoreham, West Sussex on 16/8/2014.
ian
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14
votes
1 answer
Why Did 6 Great Ape Species Survive But Only 1 Hominid Species?
My dad asked this question when I explained some circumstances surrounding Homo sapiens survival against all odds.
We know there is only one hominid species left in the world, Homo sapiens. We also know that there are only 6 other species of great…
trysis
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14
votes
1 answer
Can butterflies still fly after their wings are touched?
When I was a kid, I was told not to ever touch a butterflies wing, as it would lose its ability to fly. This was because of some dust which was supposed to be in place on the wings and when disturbed it had the described consequences. I doubt at…
Karolas
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14
votes
3 answers
Where does extra blood come from to fill your muscles during exercise?
Let's say I go to the gym and lift some weights an hour. During this time my arms will grow due to the "pump" -- the extra blood rushing in to feed the muscles. For example, I've measured about 2-3 centimeters increase just in the diameter of the…
CaptainCodeman
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14
votes
1 answer
Human disease and associated phenotype database?
Does anyone know of any good databases that contain symptoms for diseases and other ailments in humans? I've tried working with UMLS, but thats been impossible to work with. I've also tried working with the disease ontology website…
Vito
14
votes
2 answers
Resources for finding all drugs of a certain class
I may be embarking on a project involving a fairly extensive healthcare records data set, looking for the use of a particular type of drug (for example, "Proton Pump Inhibitors"). But these drugs are usually listed by their trade or generic names -…
Fomite
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14
votes
5 answers
Is it possible to genetically modify a plant at home?
Would I be able to genetically modify a plant at home? What equipment will be necessary? I think it might be a fun change from the 'norm' of regular hybridisation, to try some inter-family gene insertion, instead of staying within a genus. Are some…
J. Musser
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14
votes
4 answers
During starvation, does the human body do anything to prioritize which organs receive nutrients?
When food is scarce, the body slows its metabolic rate to conserve energy. Are there any other systems or processes that prioritize which organs receive nutrients?
Gabriel Fair
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14
votes
2 answers
How do we know the presence of light when our eyes are closed?
Last night I laid on my bed and tried to go to sleep with the light off.
I closed my eyes (but hadn't gone to sleep). My younger brother touched the wireless mouse (which had laser) for the laptop. He wiggled the mouse and it's laser contacted my…
user4147
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14
votes
2 answers
What does irregular heartbeat mean in simple language?
I bought a blood pressure monitor (A&D UA-851) which has the option to measure irregular heartbeat. I do understand what 'irregular' means, but why do irregular heartbeats happen and what are it's implications short and long term?
Matas Vaitkevicius
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14
votes
1 answer
Does a theory exist for the formation of thylakoid structure?
I'm interested in how the structure of the thylakoid forms into its characteristic highly rugose stacks of grana. What causes the thylakoid to invaginate and self-associate, albeit with what appear to be fairly large gaps in between folds?
Richard Terrett
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14
votes
2 answers
How does a tree trunk sprout and grow after being cut?
After I cut trees into logs and remove the branches in winter, they start growing. They sprout out and grow completely normal looking stems and leaves and maintain them all summer. The sprouts mostly appear around the cut branches. Sometimes they…
J. Musser
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14
votes
1 answer
Are there animal models for Clostridium difficile that better replicate human infection than hamsters?
So I'm looking for some information on the infectious dose necessary to colonize a human with Clostridium difficile. There's no human challenge studies, and since it's not a foodborne pathogen, little we can get from outbreak data.
Which leaves me…
Fomite
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