Science & Pandas (Page 2)

Science & Pandas

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Collagen fibres present in organisms like humans providing structural support

Collagen Proteins - A Fibrous Family That Supports Life

In biochemistry, perhaps the most abundant and varied family of molecules we know of are the proteins. This is certainly true for cellular biology, with the typical cell being able to hold some 42 million proteins in its cytoplasm at each point in time. Proteins are not just muscle-builders -

The Resilient Tardigrade - How Does It Survive Our Experiments?

The Resilient Tardigrade - How Does It Survive Our Experiments?

There are numerous dynamic, complex and interconnected ecosystems living on our planet. We have seen beautifully biodiverse rainforests populating the land, with endless expanses of aquatic lifeforms residing in the oceans, seas and rivers. The variety is mindboggling - but it only becomes more perplexing when you realise that even

Exploring The Amorphous, Siliceous Solid That Is Glass

Exploring The Amorphous, Siliceous Solid That Is Glass

Glass, believe it or not, is one of the most complex materials we have observed on Earth. It is also incredibly useful for manufacturing windowed houses, glass furniture, a number of electronics, and a variety of other very practical and every-day objects that we probably take for granted. Humanity has

Axolotl being cute

Unique, Youthful And Cute - The Regenerative Axolotl

Here's a question for you. Out of all the myriad creatures in the Animal Kingdom, which would would you say are the cutest of them all? Not an incredibly scientific prospect, I know, but certainly a widely disputed one! (Truly, you'd be surprised from the furious

Crown gall disease being known as plant cancer and its cause by agrobacterium lateral gene transfer

Tumours In Trees - How Agrobacteria Genetically Modify Plants

If you go out to walk often, particularly in forested areas, you may have noticed a few trees with large bulks of mass growing from their trunks before. Demorphed and decrepid, these protuberances happen rarely in large dicotyledonous plants like oak trees, and they are neither intended nor adaptive features

How mushrooms can produce bioluminescence to attract insects to spread their spore

Bioluminescent Fungi & A Light-Generating Metabolism

Truffles, in my opinion, are delicious. Though admittedly quite expensive, their mushrooms can be used to produce some of the most exquisite and unique tastes in pretty much all types of cuisine - particularly of the Italian kind. (Got to love truffle oil ravioli!) That said, I must admit that

Smoking cigarettes being awful for you

Cigarettes - Chemical Furnaces That Make Toxic Smoke

The packages say it all. Smoking cigarettes kills - and it does so in some of the most gruesome and insidious ways imaginable. Your lungs and heart get eroded, the liver clogs up with toxic chemicals and the nervous system loses its efficieny as a degrading cancer slowly colonises your

A bee collecting nectar to empower the socially connected hive and feed the queen

Complex Communities - The Mechanisms Of A Beehive

Following on from the previous post on fruits, I thought it might be a good idea to give some background to how flowers can start to reproduce in the first place, via pollination. One particularly interesting method of this, I think, is how various insect species can work in symbiosis

Gut bacteria in colon that help with metabolism and train immune system

Looking At The Gut And The Ecosystem Inside It

Gastroenterology is not a new field of study, but scientists, pharmas and clinics around the globe have only recently started realising just how significant it is to our health. Partly, this has to do with an increasing interest in how our diet can influence our fitness, weight and longevity -

The apple and how fruits are categorised botanically

Classifying Fruits And Their Cultivation - The Botanical Way

Once, I read on Google that eating some four-hundred bananas in one day could kill you, and that should be pretty understandable, I think. I think eating that much of anything, really, would kill you. In the case of bananas, however, the problem appears to be more about the potassium

Scientific model for atoms and molecules and experiments behind them

A History Of The Atomic Model And The Experiments Behind It

Using a kitchen knife, cut a loaf of bread in two equally sized pieces. Then, cut the two pieces again to obtain four, and continue cutting the loaf into identical slices until you have the smallest bread slices in existence. In the abstract scenario that you were using an atom-wide

Single-Celled Stentors - The Giants In A Microscopic World

Single-Celled Stentors - The Giants In A Microscopic World

The microscopic world of unicellular organisms is a large one. Hidden beyond our eyesight lie countless of the little creatures that jerk around sporadically, feeding on bits of nutrients in the air or otherwise engulfing each other up. This behaviour happens regularly; if you ever take a good optical microscope

How brown seaweed and microalgae could stop climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide

The Colours Of Seaweed And Its Promise To Civilisation

Not many people eat seaweed regularly, I think. Supposedly, it is packed full of both macro- and micronutrients, including omega 3 fatty acids, minerals and a variety of vitamins, but there is the slight issue that it's...seaweed. Personally, I have no problem with it; I'll

Cuckoo birds and brood parasitism

The Mafia Flying In The Sky - Parasitic Birds

When we think of parasites, I think it's fair to say that worms and insect larvae typically come to mind. Most of us will have seen some variation of an invertebrate laying its eggs inside a host species, just for them to take control over and devour them

Burning wood as fuel and sparks

What Are Flames? And...Can We Melt Wood?

When I was younger, I never really developed the fascination with flames that so many children seem to have. As exciting and thrilling as the danger from it might have been, I just wasn't a big fan of the idea of intentionally swiping my hand through an ember,

Paella and the chemistry behind its delicious taste

The Chemistry That Makes Cooked Food Tasty

I don't believe I'm alone in saying that crispy grilled sweet potato fries are delicious. And, though they might pale in comparison (I stand firm on this), normal fries can be pretty good, too - right alongside charred corn cobs, browned rice and oven-baked vegetables. Now,

Crop growth and the use of artificial fertilisers

Roots, Microbiomes And Agricultural Growth

There is a reason for why so many farmers are under pressure for using chemical agents to improve their crop growth rate and cultivatiton yield. A very good reason. Over the years, a variety of insecticides and herbicides have been scientifically proven to be toxic, damaging ecosystems and poisoning humans

The immortal jellyfish and its tentacles

The Immortality Of A Jellyfish - Truth Or Exaggeration?

Since the start of human civilisation over five thousand years ago, humanity has been resolute in searching for ways to thwart the grip of death. We see this in the long list of parables and myths and other such apocryphal narratives that have originated around the globe. Many of these

The Earth rotating in its orbit and geomagnetism

Our Curling Earth And Its Magnetic Field

In our solar system, it is a well known fact that Earth is the third closest planet to the sun, dragged around it in the distinct eliptical orbit that gives us different seasons. To the every-day viewer, its yearly trawl around the sun is a slow one, steadily travelling around

Network of white blood cell phagocytes and lymphocytes

Deciphering The Immune System One Cell At A Time

One recurring theme in biochemistry, from what I understand, is that most people see the immune system as some unapproachable monument of complexity. A matter that, when studied, gives you migraines from the struggle and a curious case of ablutophobia (the fear of washing oneself). While this is probably an

How bacteria communicate with each other

Communication Between Bacteria - Loving, Malicious Or Clever?

Before I get started with this conundrum, I must admit that I am somewhat biased toward the prokaryotic domain that is the Bacteria. All of us know about elephants and salmon and eagles and a giant variety of all the multicellular organisms on Earth (largely due to how large and

Monarch butterfly migration using quantum biology and magnetoreception to find direction

The Quantum Mechanics In Migrating Monarch Butterflies

Given that this is my first post, let me tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Andres (nice to meet you!) and I'm an undergraduate university student currently situated in the UK. I am also an enthusiastic savant of the curious workings of Mother Nature.