All Questions
3
votes
1answer
37 views
Understanding these SNP annotations
I am looking at the PharmaPGKB database for SNPs and trying to understand what the following annotation means:
rs1801131 at 1:11854475 in CLCN6, MTHFR (VIP)
Ok, ...
0
votes
1answer
31 views
Digestion system startup?
Is it true that the human digestion system needs a startup in the morning?
Meaning that if u want to lose weight it can be beneficial to eat in the morning instead of skipping that meal?
Also does ...
3
votes
1answer
45 views
Why it is so difficult to treat leukemia?
I want to ask what is the reason that T315I type CML leukemia is currently untreatable. I have read quite a few papers in this subject. Why the current genetic oriented engineering drugs failed to ...
-1
votes
0answers
36 views
What will happen if cat becomes intelligent and develops a civilization? [closed]
How will it be different from ours? How can we imagine it?
6
votes
1answer
86 views
Why dogs move their noses when smelling?
I read on Wikipedia that:
The wet nose, or rhinarium, is essential for determining the direction of the air current containing the smell. Cold receptors in the skin are sensitive to the cooling of ...
-1
votes
0answers
57 views
Are sharks everything that are not sharks? [closed]
Is this true:
shark = not things that are not a shark
∴
shark = not not sharks
?
Sharks
Things that are not sharks
1
vote
2answers
142 views
Can animals, like monkeys, be homosexual?
I heard that some monkeys can be homosexual? a friend of mine was saying that he saw a male monkey having sex with another male monkey in the zoo, I honestly didn't believe him, I think he just got ...
1
vote
0answers
31 views
Why do ion concentrations change with different secretion rates in pancreatic juice?
Why is it that when secretory rate increases in the pancreas the concentration of chloride ions decreases, and the concentration of bicarbonate increases in the production of isotonic NaCl secretion?
...
3
votes
1answer
71 views
Why do sloths come down from the trees to defecate?
I'm under the impression that most sloths exhibit this behavior, but why? They are slow moving and so have no way of escaping from predators when on the ground. Not to mention the energy they expire ...
2
votes
1answer
29 views
Up to date B cell review
Where would I find an up to date (last 6-7 years max) review on B cells? I've tried searching through pubmed with filters, cochrane library, medline and various other resources including searching old ...
1
vote
2answers
58 views
HIV and T helper cells
As far as I know and could understand from reading about HIV, T helper cell is one of the main reasons to develop AIDS in patients infected with HIV virus, that because the absence of helper T cell ...
1
vote
1answer
42 views
Role of Fbx15 in ES cells and its use in assaying for iPS cells (Yamanaka paper and others)?
I am trying to understand the assay for iPS cells in the Takahashi & Yamanaka 2006 paper.
They inserted a beta-geo cassette, which contains the neomycin resistance gene, into the Fbx15 gene. The ...
2
votes
0answers
20 views
Size of classical liver lobule across species
A classical liver lobule is made up of a central vein and the portal triads. A typical human liver weighs around 3 lbs. , while a typical bovine liver weighs around 12 lbs. I was wondering if anyone ...
2
votes
2answers
45 views
What mechanism suppresses melatonin release in humans?
I'm looking at melanopsin, a photo pigment in the human eye. One of its actions is to trigger suprachiasmatic nuclei SCN to suppress melatonin release. I'm interested in learning what is the exact ...
11
votes
1answer
135 views
Why is yawning contagious?
Why does yawning seems to be contagious?
Is this similar to laughter being contagious or does it has a different reason?
3
votes
1answer
46 views
How do I view the simulated protein structure along with ligand in VMD?
I did a simulation of a protein-ligand complex, and it has stabilized after 5 ns. I have got the respective pdb files for every ns, but when I try to view in VMD (Visual Molecular Dynamics), I cannot ...
3
votes
1answer
69 views
Results of a complete DNA sequencing - are they 100% reusable?
Is that correct that a complete DNA sequencing (the whole genome) need only to be done once (per person)?
After that is done, it the complete genome can be stored and once the new genes (and they ...
1
vote
0answers
26 views
Why do animals sleep
Animals spend a good portion of every day doing nothing, and it seems like that time could be better spent hunting, searching for mates, etc. Also, animals are not aware during sleep, so it would be ...
-2
votes
0answers
54 views
What was behind the evolution of human brain? [closed]
Why did the human brain evolve!?
certainly it was not selective evolution, it seems something inside DNA forced human to evolve through brain
Evolution (or development process of human) is more ...
3
votes
1answer
37 views
How does sugar enter neurons if they don't use insulin?
I heard somewhere that as opposed to other cells, neurons do not use insulin to get their sugar supply.
Why is that?
What is the alternative mechanism? I assume sugar can't just enter the cell ...
2
votes
1answer
44 views
How long does a tan last?
How long do melanocytes and melanosomes continue to protect DNA after UV exposure? Basically, if skin is tanned, then over the next month it is shed, will melanocytes continue to produce high levels ...
2
votes
0answers
29 views
Can Infant Crocodiles digest Bread?
I'm just curious as to whether crocodiles and if you require specifics, saltwater crocodiles, could eat bread as infants. I was watching Lake Placid and I was curious as to whether infant saltwater ...
1
vote
0answers
62 views
How does geography affect morphological features of the human body
I've seen many times how a person born in one place, goes to another country for a long time, and then they start looking more like the people there, but I never found out how it works.
This report ...
1
vote
2answers
79 views
How to know if a woman is fertile without actually making her pregnant?
How to know if a human female is fertile (can give birth to child in future) without making her pregnant? Any signs, tests?
3
votes
2answers
125 views
What is the function of nodes of Ranvier in axons?
In a neuroscience class I'm taking, it was explained that myelin covers axons in sections, the uncovered sections are called nodes of Ranvier, and signals propagate much faster in the covered ...
1
vote
3answers
100 views
Separating DNA Fragments by Gel Electrophoresis. Are all the strands for one size the same?
My apologies if my question is too basic, and please point me to a more appropriate forum. I am reading the textbook "Essential Cell Biology" by Alberts et al, and am consulting other sources as ...
1
vote
1answer
55 views
Two brown-haired people have two children, P and Q. P has blond hair. Q has brown hair. What is the probability that Q is heterozygous?
Two brown-haired people have two children, P and Q. P has blond hair. We therefore believe that each parent is heterozygous and that blond hair is a recessive trait.
Q has brown hair. What is the ...
0
votes
0answers
21 views
How does Pethidine Contribute to Serotonin Syndrome?
I ask this because while I did read in this Australian Government webpage that it inhibits the reuptake of serotonin I have seen no studies that have mentioned any such interaction with the serotonin ...
1
vote
0answers
19 views
What are the conditions that must be satisfied in order for drugs to be deliverable via the epidural route?
I ask this because I've read that while pentazocine is approved by the FDA for the treatment of labour pain, epidural administration is not listed as one of its means of administration (which thing I ...
5
votes
1answer
78 views
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 ...
2
votes
1answer
32 views
Copper for cell incubator to prevent contamination
For some reason the lab seems to have a problem with contamination every so often. It's virtually impossible to prevent bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc. from getting into the incubator every time you ...
1
vote
2answers
69 views
PEG-silane treatment: why incubate for 18 hours at 60 degrees Celsius?
I am conducting a biochemistry-related experiment and I have been unable to understand a step which is commonly performed.
My aim in this step is to apply a PEG (Polyethylene glycol) silane layer.
...
3
votes
1answer
46 views
What factors govern the variable age of onset in Huntington's Disease?
"Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative genetic disorder that affects muscle coordination and leads to cognitive decline and psychiatric problems." As we all know, this genetic disease ...
2
votes
0answers
36 views
How is Hypertonic Urine Produced in a Mammalian Kidney?
I know that the ascending loop of Henle is impermeable to water and ions, and, by end of the ascending limb, the osmolarity of the tubular fluid is very low due to the active transport of ions out ...
3
votes
0answers
38 views
What are polytene bands, and why are they there?
Drosophila polytene chromosomes have been particularly useful in genetic research, as it made cytogenetic gene mapping possible with very little effort. This was primarily accomplished due to polytene ...
1
vote
2answers
61 views
What gives observable light its colors? [duplicate]
I know that difference between different colors of light is difference between their wave length but I don't know what gives beautiful colors (like rainbow colors) to different wave length of ...
2
votes
2answers
42 views
What's a good and reliable database on the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic data of drugs both approved and unapproved?
What's a good and reliable database for the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic data of drugs both approved (in the US and elsewhere) and unapproved?
2
votes
3answers
70 views
Michaelis-Menten Kinetics: Does measuring apparent Km and Vmax take into account competing reactions?
I am learning about why it is important to measure Km and Vmax for each experimental setup because measuring the "apparent" Km and Vmax includes enzyme inhibitions of which one might not be aware.
...
2
votes
1answer
65 views
Macroevolution vs. microevolution
Where is the line usually drawn between macroevolution and microevolution?
I thought that, although similar processes govern both, the line was at the species level, with macroevolution being changes ...
1
vote
0answers
20 views
What is a good review book/source for microbiological diagnosis?
I am trying to find the diagnosis figure for different bacteria where phases are illustrated.
I am using at the moment: 1) First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 2013 and 2) Medical Microbiology by Murray et ...
0
votes
0answers
9 views
What's the mechanism of action of Levomepromazine's analgesic effects?
I have absolutely no idea as to how Levomepromazine elicits its analgesic effects so please do direct me to journal articles and other credible sources with you, the answerer, making a summary of ...
2
votes
1answer
55 views
Can animals use the nitrogen in chitin to build proteins?
Fungi and insects contain chitin, which is about 6% nitrogen.
Can an animal - like me - make use of this as a nitrogen source to build proteins?
Are there any animals that can do this?
Are there ...
0
votes
0answers
34 views
Confusion related to the use of PCA to determine the background network
I was reading this paper related to use of gene expressions for predicting the drug response. I have this confusion, the paper has used PCA on the covariance matrix formed by the genes to get what is ...
0
votes
0answers
21 views
Which receptor in particular does, “MUSCARINIC CHOLINERGIC” refer to in Goodman and Gilman?
On pg. 410 of Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics 12th Edition the term "MUSCARINIC CHOLINERGIC" is used (in the context of side effects of antidepressant agents) with ...
14
votes
3answers
772 views
Why are there no wheeled animals?
In physics, "almost everything is already discovered, and all that remains is to fill a few unimportant holes." (See Jolly.) Therefore, on Physics SE, people are veering off into different directions: ...
0
votes
1answer
58 views
Lineage selection in plasmid evolution
I've been reading through Paulsson (2002) and I am not sure what he means by "lineage selection" in the second to last section. The paper deals with plasmid replication, and mostly concentrates on the ...
2
votes
0answers
60 views
Software for counting fly eggs
Is there any software that could be used to rapidly (quicker than humans) count the eggs laid by Drosophila on a substrate by placing them under a microscope with a camera attached? The eggs are laid ...
1
vote
1answer
43 views
What type of photosynthesis is performed by phytoplankton?
I am not a biologist, but I know there exist three variants of photosynthesis, namely C3, C4 and CAM.
I would like to know what type is used by the ocean's phytoplankton? It might also be that ...
3
votes
0answers
38 views
Structure of fitness landscapes in the NK model
The NK model of rugged fitness landscapes consists of $N$ sites where fitness contribution of each site depends on its state $\{0,1\}$ and is epistatically affected by $K$ other sites. When defining ...
4
votes
3answers
87 views
Tool for nucleotide alignment with all nucleotide codes (e.g. R, Y, W, S, etc.)?
I have a vector sequence and would like to find the following nucleotide sequence in it.
AASYWSRA
This query sequence uses several degenerate symbols, defined ...
