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1500 questions
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How are new people created from the DNA of an aged person. i.e. Why are we young?
The question "why do we age" has been asked numerous times. But why are we young? The cells of the adult human being are an age (time>0), but how can old cells create new cells that are younger than themselves?
I.e, how are young people made from…
Aaron Schif
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What are the potential dangers (if any) facing the twin girls recently born in China with their CCR5 gene modified?
According to this Nature news article, a Chinese researcher claims to have made the world's first genome-edited baby using the popular CRISPR–Cas9 genome-editing tool. A gene called CCR5 was modified before the embryo was implanted into the mother.…
user23823
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Do ring species exist?
In trying to understand evolution better, I have been looking at examples of speciation, and have thus come across the topic of ring species. I have tried to find concrete examples of how these work, but have been unable to. This paper deals with…
Niobius
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Why do soap molecules not break down your skin cells when you wash your hands?
Soap molecules are similar in structure to phospholipids and interact with the cell membrane. They can clearly cause damage to the cell membrane.
If this is the case, why then, does soap not break down your skin every time you use it? The skin…
chemN00b
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What is the cause of muscle cramps?
According to Wikipedia, muscle cramps are caused by the inability of myosin fibers to break free from the actin filaments during contraction, resulting in a prolonged contraction.
A lack of ATP would obviously produce cramping, as myosin requires…
Kenshin
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Why do hot water baths affect only males' fertility? Why not females'?
Here is the link where urologists are warning men not to take hot water baths.
Why does it affect only males' fertility? Why not females also?
K Sai Harsha
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Differences Between Protein Motifs and Protein Domains?
I am in a 300-level molecular biology class and am unclear about this concept and how to delineate motifs versus domains of proteins. Any suggestions would be much obliged.
Lauren
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Are there lifeforms that have more than 2 sexes?
Are there any lifeforms on earth that have more than male and female biological sexes?
If so, are all three mates required for reproduction or is there something else going on?
If not, why not? There are species that have one sex and there are…
ToMakPo
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12
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How can you identify if a person is homozygous for a certain allele?
I've been thinking about starting a small private research project. In this project I need to find out whether a person is homozygous for a certain allele. The reason for this is that I'm really trying to find out whether has a mutation that makes…
Pedery
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What causes adenosine build up in the brain when awake?
Adenosine is an important hormone in sleep regulation. It is postulated that when a person is awake, there is a build up of adenosine in the brain, which inhibits the neurons in the brain, and produces tiredness. (See answer for more information: …
Kenshin
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Discrepancy in time for genetic differences between human and chimpanzee to accumulate
Genetic differences between human and chimpanzee include ~50,000 amino acid changes, ~30,000,000 point mutations in non-coding sequences, and millions of insertions, deletions, inversions, genomic rearrangements, and transposable element movements…
lenantak
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Why can all animals swim in water without learning to swim but humans cannot?
I had a question since I was a child. I was always curious about the fact that all animals can swim in water. They don't need any training or to learn swimming. But humans need to learn to swim. Why ?
I am a technical person and not in biology after…
Balaji Birajdar
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If fever is a natural immune defense, why do people take drugs to lower it?
If fever is a natural defense against pathogens, why do sick people take NSAIDs to reduce the fever?
Drosophila
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Can you accelerate the growth of a plant by accelerating its surroundings?
I had this weird idea of making plants grow faster when I first visited an indoor nursery which used floodlights instead of sunlight. They turned on during the day and went off during night in cycles.
If the time period of the cycles are…
AlphaLife
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