Most Popular
1500 questions
13
votes
2 answers
When does BLAST fail to align 2 DNA sequences?
This is an assignment that had confused me for a long time. So I think you guys who study computational biology might be interested. The original question is:
Find the two most similar DNA sequences of length 20 that Blast using a word length of 5…
NonalcoholicBeer
- 413
- 2
- 10
13
votes
2 answers
What insect is this? (India)
Can anyone tell me what kind of insect (if it is one) is this...!! Or is it the pupa of some insect?
Well I don't think that the whole big thing is the insect itself, it appears to be just a kind of protection or shelter which moves along with the…
Shefali
- 464
- 4
- 14
13
votes
5 answers
Why can't ciliary muscles in the human eye relax like other muscles?
I had laser eye surgery a decade ago, but in recent years my eyesight has become significantly myopic. I consulted an ophthalmologist to see if this was eye strain because I work at computers a lot, or part of a natural degradation of the eye over…
Questioner
- 275
- 2
- 3
- 11
13
votes
1 answer
To which distinctions does the term "hymenoptera" refer?
Hymenoptera is an order of insects that includes bees, ants, and wasps. A quick search gives the following etymological analysis of the term hymenoptera.
hymen (membrane) + pteron (wing)
Does the term hymenoptera have a firm basis in biology and…
Daniel Standage
- 5,741
- 3
- 29
- 62
13
votes
3 answers
What is Curved DNA?
CbpA is DNA binding protein found in E. coli and binds non-specifically to curved DNA (Cosgriff et al., 2010), when the bacterium is in a static phase of growth.
The use of "curved DNA" confuses me. Is the term "curved DNA" essentially the same as…
harpalss
- 2,573
- 3
- 20
- 37
13
votes
2 answers
What are the evolutionary niches differentiating an apple from a pear?
So, as far as I understand (basic) evolutionary theories, diversity is generated by "niching." That is, if there is an environmental factor that hasn't been fully used by any species to "profit" off, there will be a tendency to fill up that "niche"…
romeovs
- 233
- 1
- 6
13
votes
3 answers
Long-term-potentiation and memory. Where do we stand?
I was reading the answers to the question: How and where, in the human brain, are memories stored? and, as expected, LTP and LTD came out.
Every time I read about LTP/LTD there is always something that bugs me a lot.
When I read papers about LTP/LTD…
nico
- 6,882
- 34
- 50
13
votes
2 answers
Which is more important for protein expression mRNA structure or codon optimization?
The field seems extremely divided on the debate. On one hand, artificial experiments have suggested that synonymous mutations don't correlate with gene expression but rather, the mRNA 5' structure is the most important 1. On the other hand, genome…
bobthejoe
- 7,867
- 7
- 43
- 73
13
votes
2 answers
Do the foldings in the brain vary person to person?
Can the gyri and sulcus, which are the foldings of the cerebrum, vary from person to person? If that is true, then can we say different people have different types of thinking skills? I believed that the anatomy of the brains of homo sapiens were…
Vidushi Aggarwal
- 398
- 11
13
votes
2 answers
What does fitness really mean?
Fitness is certainly the most important concept in the theory of evolution. My question does not have to do with practical measures of fitness but with the theoretical definition of it.
I am a bit lost with the concept of fitness. Below I give some…
Remi.b
- 68,088
- 11
- 141
- 234
13
votes
1 answer
Have elephants (or any species other than humans) been known to cover their dead?
I was just reading this blog on HarperCollins website about 5 animals that grieve. Of elephants, the following claim is made:
They bury their dead and pay tribute to the bodies and to the bones. [my emphasis]
Now, I don't doubt that elephants "pay…
Curious Layman
- 565
- 4
- 14
13
votes
2 answers
Can simultaneous double pathogen infections happen, or are they prevented?
Is there something in immunology that prevents a simultaneous infection with a 2nd pathogen? For example, I've never heard of someone getting both dengue and malaria together. Or, say, Ebola and Marburg fever. Of course, sheer probability makes it…
curious_cat
- 714
- 3
- 15
13
votes
1 answer
Does the recent concern over several papers about Aβ*56 call into question the association of Alzheimers Disease with any amyloyd beta oligomer forms?
The news item by Charles Piller just published in Science BLOTS ON A FIELD? A neuroscience image sleuth finds signs of fabrication in scores of Alzheimer’s articles, threatening a reigning theory of the disease highlights the recent news and…
uhoh
- 5,436
- 2
- 30
- 77
13
votes
1 answer
Sequencing the genomes of polyploid organisms
I've done some transcriptomics work in the past with a polyploid organism, and this presented some unique challenges in the data processing and analysis. Since then, I have been brainstorming about the technical challenges one may face when…
Daniel Standage
- 5,741
- 3
- 29
- 62
13
votes
0 answers
What is, (and what isn't) "kinetic replication" as it applies to molecules and to living organisms?
CNN's World's first living robots can now reproduce, scientists say describes "xenobots"; clusters of stem cells that move around and by this motion occasionally push enough free stem cells together such that they form a new one, at least that's my…
uhoh
- 5,436
- 2
- 30
- 77