Most Popular
1500 questions
12
votes
2 answers
Does double stranded RNA (dsRNA) exist in eukaryotic cells?
I know it sounds like a stupid question. Obviously, tRNAs and rRNAs, for example, form loops and could therefore be considered as dsRNAs... but are they really considered as such?
Are there examples of RNAs, in eukaryotic cells, that could be…
justdoit
- 704
- 1
- 6
- 18
12
votes
1 answer
How is Taq polymerase produced?
I've seen Taq polymerase being marketed as either "native" or "recombinant". I understand that the recombinant version is produced by specially modified Escherichia coli strains that have the gene for polymerase production spliced in them, but I am…
user132
12
votes
2 answers
What is it called when one human eye is seeing brighter color than the other?
What is the name of a phenomenon where one of the human eyes is seeing brighter/more saturated color than the other? I can observe the same object from the same position while alternating which eye is closed, and there's a visible difference in the…
Alex Stone
- 6,515
- 5
- 32
- 71
12
votes
2 answers
If I put a cup over a spider, and leave it there for a day, will the spider survive?
Will it travel more slowly since it hasn't had food for a day?
What if I left the cup there for longer?
InquilineKea
- 2,309
- 2
- 17
- 27
12
votes
1 answer
Why do some plant species have lobed leaves, while similar species in the same habitat don't?
Some plants have lobed leaves, like the English oak (Quercus robur), while other plants growing the same deciduous woodland habitats, and very often growing alongside oaks, such as the European beech (Fagus sylvaticus) don't have lobes. Here are two…
Rik Smith-Unna
- 9,616
- 4
- 50
- 71
12
votes
4 answers
Is there any other function of DNA?
We all know that DNA acts as a genetic molecule. Does DNA have any other function in the cell other than being a genetic material and carrier of information?
user3893
- 171
- 1
- 3
12
votes
2 answers
Can life subsist on anything else but water?
Inspired by an answer to a previous question.
It's hypothesized that extraterrestrial life could be based on silicon rather than carbon as its main structural element.
Are there similar theories about an alternative "life solvent" rather than water?…
Drosophila
- 1,538
- 1
- 12
- 25
12
votes
0 answers
ID request ~2mm insect monstrosity
This tiny monstrosity (~2mm in length) was inside of some kind of "flat tent cocoon" on a pepper plant leaf in Washington state, USA.
Not sure what's going on here. Is it malformed or infected?
Sergii Dymchenko
- 125
- 10
12
votes
1 answer
How would one calculate the availability of nucleotides to an enzyme?
How would one calculate the availability of nucleotides to an enzyme like a polymerase ?
I imagine an answer in units like nucleotides per second per enzyme, but I'm also imagining an answer that is not a simple rate of reaction. k_on calculations…
Thomas Ingalls
- 1,469
- 12
- 19
12
votes
1 answer
Does the genetic expression of specific physical traits ever correlate to behaviour?
Over at skeptics, there were a couple questions asked as to the correlation of specific physical traits in relation to personality/behaviour. For instance, the simian line as well as red hair. Now, I did my best to answer these questions, with…
Larian LeQuella
- 2,146
- 2
- 19
- 29
12
votes
3 answers
How are our senses dimmed during sleep?
Our senses are not as sensitive during sleep compared to wake. There is an arousal threshold during sleep that only when it is overcome will it wake a person up. My question is how is this arousal threshold lowered as sleep progresses? And how it is…
dayuloli
- 502
- 4
- 14
12
votes
5 answers
What is meant in biology by the term "evolved"?
A student asked me this the other day and I thought that I would ask it again here. If one organism is said to be "more evolved" than another, what exactly does this mean?
Poshpaws
- 7,292
- 2
- 33
- 53
12
votes
4 answers
What is the definition of "Natural Selection"?
Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype.
Natural selection, a process that results in the adaptation of an organism to its environment by means of selectively reproducing…
Zuhair Al-Johar
- 399
- 3
- 9
12
votes
5 answers
Does darker skin color make it easier to live under sun?
I have always thought darker colors absorb more heat from the sun, so if you are wearing a white T-shirt you will be cooler under sun than wearing a darker T-shirt, or a black piece of steel will be hotter under the sun than a shiny silvery one.
If…
user893730
12
votes
2 answers
How much energy does a small spider expend per day just waiting for its web to vibrate?
Roughly speaking, a small, complex electronic circuit or IC might sit in "sleep mode" using a current of roughly 1 µA (e.g. 1, 2), thereby using roughly $3\times 10^{-6}$ Watts, and that converts to roundly $2.5\times 10^{-6}$ kcal/hour or $62\times…
uhoh
- 5,436
- 2
- 30
- 77