56
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Does it make sense to classify all humans in a single species?
Actually, we not only consider that all human beings belong to the same species (Homo sapiens) but even that we belong to the same subspecies (Homo sapiens sapiens). So, does it really makes sense?
...
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12
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Where can I get a file/list of the common and scientific names of species?
Uniprot has a list of the controlled vocabulary for common and scientific names of species listed here.
An example entry:
...
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12
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Where can I get a file/list of the common and scientific names of species?
Maybe not a direct answer to your question, depending on what you mean with "unencoded data file", but the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) has an API where you extract data for species ...
- 16.8k
12
votes
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Novel bacterial strains of bacteria first isolated on the International Space Station, did the space environment lead to these genetic changes?
The authors propose that this is a distinct species based on a number of physiological and genetic tests. To quote the summary of your linked paper
In summary, the phylogenetic and genetic ...
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10
votes
What kind of snake is this
It looks like an Eastern Hognose Snake, which is characterized by an upturned nose and high likelihood of playing dead.
These are described as variable in coloration:
"Two color phases are common ...
- 12.3k
9
votes
Defining "species" (Are species an emergent property or an ensemble of quantitative differences?)
Can we give a robust definition of species?
No.
Species constantly evolve, diverge, converge, interbreed, and mix and shuffle and trade and spread genes. To draw a box at any particular point in ...
- 6,272
8
votes
Looking for a database of plant features
-- Traits --
TRY
TRY is a Plant Trait Database. More formally, it's a network of vegetation scientists headed by DIVERSITAS/IGBP, and the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, providing a ...
- 30.4k
8
votes
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Are there any half-evolved animals alive today?
I know that there are animals that are "simpler" than other animals but are there any that are half-evolved? Why aren't there living half ape and half humans?
Oh come on. You know if ...
- 3,263
8
votes
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What kind of spider is this (reddish spider)?
This most likely is Microlinyphia pusilla. Note that this is a male, females look quite different. A picture that closely resembles yours can be found here
https://www.ispotnature.org/node/402405
...
- 3,685
7
votes
Can anyone identify this bird - small flock in ireland?
With the new image it is still hard, but I think I identified the bird. I think this is a Willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) which is pretty common in Europe.
The drawing from the Royal Bird ...
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7
votes
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Is being able to interbreed and produce fertile offspring a transitive relation in biology?
The ring species conundrum
As commented above, in essence this is the classic case study of ring species, and reading up on it will completely answer your question. A case of ring species is ...
- 6,272
6
votes
Accepted
Parents that eat their own children
Yes, it is true.
Prairie dogs
Prairie dogs for example are known for frequent infanticides.
Many other species kill their babies too
But of course, such behaviour also exists in other lineages ...
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6
votes
Accepted
Which requirements are needed for 2 different species to be able to have offsprings?
Lets break this down like a logical problem. In reality, it involves the correct gene expressions at the correct time, place, etc. But that would be a book.
Prezygotic reproductive isolating ...
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6
votes
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Complete list of touch sensitive plants
Some of the plants that respond to mechanical stimuli:
Dionaea muscipula
'Venus’ Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) accomplishes one of the more spectacular thigmonastic movements resulting in a swap of ...
- 3,293
6
votes
Is Human a race?
The term "race" in biology
The term "race" is sometimes used in biology as a level of categorization below the species level. It is hence not a synonym of "species" but closer to a synonym of "...
- 68.3k
6
votes
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What kind of fish is on the picture?
This is an Atlantic wolffish (Anarhichas lupus). It's a very characteristic fish, with the teeth, the long dorsal fin and the small back fin.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_wolffish
- 3,685
5
votes
Accepted
How to automatically obtain the "kingdom" of a species from its name?
You could try the Catalogue of Life
The Catalogue of Life is the most comprehensive and authoritative global index of species currently available. It consists of a single integrated species ...
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5
votes
Accepted
How is DNA testing used to differentiate between different species?
Statistics of divergence
You can compute various statistics of group divergence. Typically you could consider the pairwise number of differences between any pair of individuals. For example the ...
- 68.3k
5
votes
Accepted
What is the animal in this video?
This is a Northern pufferfish. It is called Sphoeroides maculatus.
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/vims_photos/3570935564
You can confirm this on FishBase.
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5
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What is the name of this spider and is it poisonous?
Ah, that would be the spiny orb weaver. You can see an almost exact same picture here. To make a guess on the species, its maybe Gasteracantha cancriformis as its said in that webpage I have tagged. ...
- 5,859
5
votes
Is there a definition of species where Lions and Tigers are the same species?
The concept this would fit under would be the "Biological Species Concept."
Concerning this concept, the Evolution site for Berkeley says "members of populations that actually or potentially ...
- 51
5
votes
help identifying marine item found on beach
You've found a swim bladder. Swim bladders are largely made from collagen, so when they're dried out on beaches they feel tough and rigid.
Swim bladders differ in shape between species. As an example,...
- 3,363
4
votes
Insect identification, Bangalore India
So i did some more research and found some canon photos of two moth species both found in india and super similar to this
both of them have brown spots around them
both of them are found in india
So ...
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4
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Minor differences in morphology of a snake: Why designate it a different species?
Short explanation
According to the papers I could find, Dendrelaphis ashoki and D. girii aren't as closely related as you suggest: D. ashoki appears to be closely related to D. pictus, a Southeast ...
- 1,148
4
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Can any one identify this insect from Lokhandwala, Mumbai India?
It's looks like a Leaf-Footed Bug (Homoeocerus Sp., Coreidae).
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/itchydogimages/17774939209
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/itchydogimages/6211603956/
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4
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Is it possible to artificially select for flight in pigs?
Intro course to evolutionary biology
I doubt you can get much from the below answer. At the end of the day, the only thing that would really allow you to increase your knowledge is probably an intro ...
- 68.3k
4
votes
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How can paleontologists identify morphologically different fossils as members of the same species?
Radically different body shapes and sizes represent overall phenotype. Overall phenotype was used briefly in the 1960s and 1970s for species identification under a statistical distance method called "...
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4
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Can two different species in the same genus generally succeed in the same habitat?
It is not correct to say that genera are based on genetic similarity. Different lineages diverge genetically at highly variable rates, and there is no set cut-off for what defines a genus. Instead, ...
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4
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How many different species have existed on Earth?
From Raup (1986).
Up to 4 billion species of plants and animals are estimated to have
lived at some tlme m the geologic past (2), most of these in the last
600 million years (Phanerozoic time). ...
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