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2 answers

How does a (stem) cell keep track of its own 'specialization'?

If I understand correctly, as stem cells divide, they become more and more specialized. The very first (fertilized) cell still can divide into every other cell in the body, but as they divide further, each cell can divide only into a smaller subset…
matthias_buehlmann
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Is it scientifically sound to pool repeated measurements?

I am measuring specific phenolic compounds in leaves of A. thaliana. I have many different varieties, and different treatments. Initially I was measuring one leaf per plant for three plants for each treatment, cultivar combination (left in example…
Rivered
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Is the minicolumn the unit of the neocortex?

There are many arguments for what the unit of the neocortex is. "Columns" seem to be the standard, but what exactly those are is extremely contradictory between individuals, cortical regions, and species. Often times, when a column is referred to,…
Preece
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Can mosquitoes be attracted by our voice?

In the dark, mosquitoes use CO2 to find blood host like us. However, 1) they are known to have excellent auditory organs (ref1, ref2) and 2) sound can be heard from any directions, contrary to odors which follow the wind direction. Do mosquitoes use…
Noil
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Is it possible for two brown-eyed parents to have blue-eyed child?

Here's the (real) story: A young man has stunning blue eyes. On his mother's side are lots of instances of blue eyes, but on his father's side is no history of blue eyes. Both parents have brown eyes. When he was born, with these bright blue eyes,…
Django Reinhardt
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Are there echolocating insects?

Echolocation is the ability to obtain spatial information of the surroundings from echos generated by the animal. There are bats and other vertebrates that naturally use it. I was wondering if this is limited to vertebrates, or if there are examples…
Memming
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Do spike-protein-based vaccines undermine the DNA repair system?

I ain't no biologist, but I came across a paper recently and tried to understand it: SARS–CoV–2 Spike Impairs DNA Damage Repair and Inhibits V(D)J Recombination In Vitro My question: Is it a correct takeaway that vaccines that are based on the…
csstudent1418
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Do spiders learn how to build webs?

Concerning spiders, is there any research on whether web-building is an inherited behavior, or if it must be observed and learned? e.g. Has anyone hatched spider eggs in isolation and observed whether the descendants still know how to build a web?
Martin Fürholz
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Which part of the brain needs to be shut down to lose conciousness?

Whether it is mechanical (trauma), chemical (anaesthesia) or electrical - which part of the brain is shut down to cause loss of consciousness?
Ram Manohar M
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Does 1kg of lettuce have more energy than 1kg of beef?

Given that each trophic level of the food chain has a decrease of 90% of available energy, would it be fair to say that 1kg of lettuce has more energy than 1kg of beef? If it's not true, can you explain the reason?
Vanessa Urbano
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Will proper autoclave treatment really "inactivate all resistant bacterial spores"? If not, how widespread are autoclave-resistant bacterial spores?

Wikipedia's says: A widely used method for heat sterilization is the autoclave, sometimes called a converter or steam sterilizer. Autoclaves use steam heated to 121–134 °C (250–273 °F) under pressure. To achieve sterility, the article is placed in…
uhoh
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Why does cyanide inhibit CuZnSOD, but not MnSOD or FeSOD?

Different types of superoxide dismutase (SOD) contain different metal ions (Zn, Cu, Mn, Ni, or Fe), all of which allow them to catalyze one reaction, dismutation of superoxide anion, O2−. Cyanide can block this reaction, but only in CuZnSOD. What is…
kasia
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What's happening in the "C" and "T" stripes of a covid test kit?

I have a COVID home test kit which produces C and T (control and test) stripes when the solution is applied to the strip. Something similar happens in pregnancy test kits. I understand the purpose of a control and test response, but what is the…
spraff
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Would it be possible to sequence human DNA from wastewater treatment plants?

I know that there are some efforts from scientists working with bladder cancer to perform liquid biopsy from urine for detection and monitoring of the cancer such as this one. I've been searching online - but the "wastewater" search term gives me…
ilam engl
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Can I use multiple bicistronic RBS sequences in a synthetic biological circuit?

The bicistroninc RBS sequences (BCDs) developed by Mutalik et al. [1] aim to remove context sensitivity from translation and therefore ensure more predictable gene expression. However, I have been told that having multiple transcriptional units,…
ajhfedorec
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