2018-01-25 11:00
Biology Concepts – apoptosis, synthaesthesia, mitochondria We often ascribe human traits to objects that do not have thoughts or feelings of their own. This is called anthropomorphism… Read More
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As Many Exceptions As Rules Blog
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Exceptions to natural and biological rules are used to increase interest in biology. Recent studies, and not so recent studies, are described in order to demonstrate amazing organisms and practices. Core concepts of biology are emphasized, with side trips
2018-01-18 11:00
Biology Concepts – mitochondrial dynamics Stars are the largest fusion reactors around, and organisms do use some of the energy our Sun produces by joining two hydrogen atoms into… Read More
2018-01-11 11:00
Biology Concepts – pollen, plastid inheritance, gymnosperms, angiospermsI am coming to believe that plants are more complex than animals, even more complex than females. Female plants… Read More
2018-01-04 11:00
Biology concepts – inheritance patterns, mitochondria, fertilization, lineage, mitochondrial EveWhat do the “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”, Mother’s Day, and all y… Read More
2017-12-28 11:00
Biology concepts – gravitropism, plastid, chloroplast, chromoplast, amyloplast, leucoplast, malaria parasiteBelieve it or not, the way plant roots know to grow into the dirt is related… Read More
2017-12-21 11:00
Biology concepts – plant adaptations, osmosis, parthenogenesisLast week we discussed the biological implications of an old Christmas carol. Today’s post is a hodgepodge of holida… Read More
2017-12-14 11:00
Biology concepts – cell walls, chloroplasts, myco-heterotrophs, holoparasites, Life on Earth is easy. It can be boiled down to three sentences. “The mitochondria and the chloropl… Read More
2017-12-07 11:00
Biology concepts – hydrogenosome, FeS cluster protein, loricifera, erythrocyte More than one way to skin a cat seems to be a newer version of the old British saying, “there are m… Read More
2017-11-30 11:00
Biology concepts – mitochondria, aerobic respiration, anaerobic respiration, glycolysis, fermentation, mitosomeThe bee hummingbird is the smallest bird in the world. Living… Read More
2017-11-23 11:00
Biology concepts – plasmid, linear organelle genomes, extrachromosomal circular DNAs, conjugation, Planet of the Apes (1968) – a good movie, but not a great movie.Every ape was a… Read More
2017-11-16 11:00
Biology concepts – linear chromosomes, circular chromosomes, taxonomy, replication, telomereOrganization is helpful in learning and work, and apparently in crafts. But there is a fine… Read More
2017-11-09 11:00
Biology concepts – biological timeline, serial endosymbiosis, endocystosis, evolutionTaxonomy, the placing of species in different groups based on their characteristics, changeseveryda… Read More
2017-11-02 10:00
Biology concepts – archaea, bacteria, domains of life, hydrothermal vent ecosystem, chemosynthesisWhat is a bigger mistake – to overestimate or to underestimate? If you overestim… Read More
2017-10-26 10:00
Biology Concepts – prokaryotes, simplicity, complexity, organelles, microcompartmentsNot everything new is better; new doesn’t necessarily mean improved. Remember the “New… Read More
2017-10-19 10:00
Biology Concepts – vacuoles, phagocytosis, melanin, cephalopod camouflageSometimes, the name of an item becomes the sameas its function. Have you ever asked for a Puff when youneeded a… Read More
2017-10-12 10:00
Biology concepts – compartmentalization, organelle function, cellular biochemistryThis chart represents a portion of the cellular reactions that are taking place every second in a mamm… Read More
2017-10-05 10:00
Biology concepts – symbiosis, lichen products, weathering, pedogenesisDuring the Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps got the idea to have unemployed people earn some money by p… Read More
2017-09-28 10:00
Biology Concepts – symbiosis, mutualism, lichensThe lycan is a subject better relegated a cryptozoology blog. Along with the Loch Ness Monster, vampires, and the Easter Bunny, cryptids… Read More
2017-09-21 10:00
Biology concepts – symbiosis, mutualism, water storage “Gobi” means desert in Ural-Altaic,so when you say, “Gobi Desert,” youare really being redundant.Sometime… Read More
2016-09-14 10:00
Biology concepts – density of water, latent heat, stratificationErnest Rutherford showed that atoms were mostly space by shooting alpha particles at a sheet of gold foil. Only a few pa… Read More
2016-09-07 10:00
Biology concepts – fish osmoregulation, shark osmoregulation, semelparity, iteroparityThe irony of fish drinking is not lost on this café in the Hotel Portofino at Universal Orl… Read More
2016-08-31 21:43
Biology concepts – osmoregulation, tonicity, phytohormones, avian kidney, pinnieds, cetaceansAfrican elephants are larger than asian elephants, but their urine production is similar. A… Read More
2016-08-24 10:00
Biology concepts – salts in biology, osmotic potential, action potential, transpirationDietary salt – crucial for survival; Veruca Salt – not so much.In Latin, verruca mean… Read More
2016-08-17 10:00
Biology concepts – water conservation, kidney function, metabolic water, adaptation, water uptake“Koala” in aborigine means “no drink.” The moist eucalyptus lea… Read More
2016-08-10 10:00
Birds need water just like the rest of us, but beaks make it harder. They may suck it up like a straw or scoop it up like a bucket, or by leaning back and letting the rain fall in.At some po… Read More
2016-08-03 10:00
Biology concepts – introduced species, invasive species, The United States is a melting pot, and it is one of ourgreatest strengths. The questions is, is it also a goodidea for plants… Read More
2016-07-30 11:00
This post has little to do with biological exceptions, but if you find the writing on this blog at all appealing, then perhaps you will like this topic as well. I have finished a book for Sp… Read More
2016-07-27 10:00
I have judged many a science fair project in my day. It is a learning experience, so adherence to the steps of the scientific method taught in most classes is O.K. But the students should re… Read More
2016-07-20 10:00
Biology concepts – thermoregulation, ectothermy, endothermy, genetic mutation Let me introduce you to the most wondrous animal on the surface of the Earth, or under the surface o… Read More
2016-07-13 10:00
Biology concepts – pollination, single pollinator, co-evolution, co-divergenceWhat’s bugging her, it’s supposed to be a party!Imagine the best party of the year – it… Read More
2016-07-06 10:00
Biology concepts – thermoregulation, pollination, tropisms, flower structure, plant communication In many ways, plants are “smarter” than people (forgive the anthropomorphi… Read More
2016-06-29 10:00
Biology concepts – endothermy, ectothermy, poikilothermy, thermoregulation So you are lying in bed, cold and hungry, contemplating living like a monk just so you can have more time to… Read More
2016-06-22 10:00
Biology concepts – bacterial immunity, bacteriophage, antibioticsThere are recognized characteristics that all living organisms share. However, they are not black and white; take… Read More
2016-06-15 10:00
Biology concepts – immune defense, antibiotic resistance Naim Süleymanoğlu is better known as Pocket Hercules (4' 10"). He was born in Bulgaria, but is of Turkish descent. He… Read More
2016-06-08 10:00
Biology concepts – innate immunity, adaptive immunity, defense mechanisms, endotoxinThe Jardin des Tuileries is the setting for the final scene of “The Happening.“ Located… Read More
2016-06-01 10:00
Biology concepts - hygiene hypothesis, immune regulation, bacterial drug resistance Christian Slater starred in a 2008 American TV series called, “My Own Worst Enemy.” Slater was… Read More
2016-05-25 10:00
Biology Concepts – immune hypersensitivity, allergy, autoimmune diseaseStone Mountain in Georgia is one big hunk of granite. There is a bas-relief carving of Jefferson Davis, Robert E… Read More
2016-05-18 10:00
Biology concepts – iron, genetic disease, infectious disease, immune evasionIt is strange to think of people as rusting, but there are days when I get up and swear that my joints… Read More
2016-05-11 10:00
Biology concepts – evolution, reproductive advantage, natural selection, co-dominance, X-linked genesLast week we learned how less aggressive strains of malaria were used to treat neur… Read More
2016-05-04 10:00
Biology concepts – fever, infectious disease, sexually transmitted disease, innate immune systemWould you be willing to be a human guinea pig, to see if one disease might stop an… Read More
2016-04-27 10:00
Biology Concepts – innate immunity, acquired immunity, memory response, influenzaYour body is exposed to tens of thousands of foreign molecules every day. Some can do you harm, some ca… Read More
2016-04-20 10:00
Biology Concepts – disease, vaccination, single nucleotide polymorphismsJill Bolte Taylor is an Indiana University neuroscience professor who suffered a massive stroke. She recognized… Read More
2016-04-13 10:00
Wrigley Field was originally called Weeghman Park, after a local lunchroom owner. The first team to call the park home was the Chicago Whales - strange name for a city on a freshwater lake… Read More
2016-04-06 10:00
The snowy owl is sedentary, meaning it does not migrate. The males are almost perfectly white, while the females and juveniles can have black barring. They sit, look, and listen for their pr… Read More
2016-03-30 10:00
A full grown liger is a biiggg cat! A male lion and a female tiger get to know each well, and their love child is huge. It doesn’t happen in the wild because the ranges of lions and ti… Read More
2016-03-23 10:00
We have talked about the reactions of photosynthesis before. Basically, the plant uses the energy of the sun to fix carbon (change it from gas to solid) by adding water to it chemically. The… Read More
2016-03-16 10:45
The cheetah is one quick cat, but it often confused with the leopard. Here is a guide. The cheetah has single black spots, while the leopard has rosettes - dark spots or circles with light f… Read More
2016-03-09 11:00
Humans have the ability to make language, although too many choose not to use it well. Our speech involves anatomy, genes, and our higher brain functions that allow us to atta… Read More
2016-03-02 11:00
The titan beetle (Titanus giganteus), is not necessarily a gentle giant. Its jaws can snap pencils and easily cut into human flesh…. and they fly. Calm down, the adults don’t fe… Read More
2016-02-24 11:00
Biology concepts – cathemerality, circadian rhythm, adaptation, predator/prey relationsOne carnivorous and three vegetarian friends stranded on a island – what could go wrong? Th… Read More
2016-02-17 11:00
Biology concepts – activity patterns, crepuscular, co-evolution, active pollinationNocturnal and diurnal activity patterns are like vanilla and chocolate cupcakes. But what if you like… Read More
2016-02-10 12:30
Biology concepts – circadian rhythm, vision sense, adaptation, parasitism, form follows functionThe sun and the moon are symbols of differentactivity cycles. As with everything else, w… Read More
2016-02-03 13:42
Biology concepts – nastic movements, turgor pressure, evolutionary pressure, tropism, osmosisIf you don’t let a Mimosa pudica (sensitive plant) plant rest at night, it will wilt… Read More
2016-01-27 12:00
Biology concepts – thermoregulation, sleep, genetic disease, infectious disease, central dogma of molecular biology, form follows functionEven rats have to get some sleep. It was nice… Read More
2016-01-20 11:48
Biology concepts – learning, memory, attention, concentration, hippocampus, neurotransmitters, neurotrophins, executive function, processing speed, exerciseMany people exercise because… Read More
2016-01-13 13:00
Biology concepts – sleep induction, circadian cycle, narcolepsy, insomnia, anterior hypothalamus, neurotransmitters, cytokines, inflammationHarriet Tubman gained the respect of all aft… Read More
2016-01-06 13:15
Biology concepts – exercise, stress, aging, mood, neurotransmitters, monoamines, endocannabinoids, endorphins, blood brain barrierExercise is a common New Year’s resolution. You… Read More
2015-12-30 13:33
Biology concepts – synergism, multidrug resistant cancersThe Commiphora myrrha is the classic source for myrrh resin. It is a short tree that grows in low moisture and poor soil areas… Read More
2015-12-23 12:20
Biology concepts – sap, resin, latex, mucilageFrankincense is a solid material than starts out as a liquid that oozes from a tree. In the presence of air, the resin turns har… Read More
2015-12-16 13:00
Biology concepts – toxicity, trace elements Say hello to the Holterman nugget of New South Wales, Australia, supposedly the largest gold nugget ever found. Strictly speaking, it isn&rs&hell…Read More
2015-12-09 13:00
Biology concepts – subnivean zone, chionophiles, antifreeze proteins, UV vision, snow blindness, photokeratitis Rudolph the red nosed reindeer didn’t start as a song or even a Ra… Read More
2015-12-02 13:00
Biology concepts – theories of sleep, REM sleep, circadian rhythms, neural plasticityYou open the door to your house and find your roommate sprawled out on the couch. Is he sleeping, u… Read More
2015-11-24 11:14
Biology concepts – maize, transposon, antigenic variation, cereal grain, food grain, caryopsis The Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota, uses corncobs to make murals on the sides of t… Read More
2015-11-18 11:55
Biology concepts – epigynous berries, seed dispersion, scarification, drupe, endocarp Ocean Spray alone sells 86.4 million cans of jellied cranberry sauce each year. No matter which sa… Read More
2015-11-11 13:00
The gut of a fish is a strange place to go looking for bacteria. It’s an even stranger place to find the second largest bacterium on Earth. Epulopiscium fishelsoni (E. fishelsoni) hang… Read More
2015-11-04 13:00
If you double the size of a cell in each direction, the volume increases eight fold. This makes take eight times longer for a molecule to diffuse through the whole cell.Last week w… Read More
2015-10-28 11:30
If all the animal species are broken up into groups, the light blue section includes insects, and the rest of the circle colors represent every other animal on Earth!Comparisons he… Read More
2015-10-21 12:00
Halloweenhas morphed into a holiday where people see how much it takes to scare them. Horror movies, haunted houses, dangerous pranks; people like to be scared.Miracle Max had his own method… Read More
2015-10-14 12:00
“Nosferatu” was the first film (1922, directed by F.W. Murnau) made about the blood sucking undead. It followed the Stoker novel so closely that his estate sued and a court order… Read More
2015-10-07 11:59
Biology concepts – twins, superfecundity, superfetation, hormones, reproduction Best In Showis one of the great movies; it also gives you a good idea how crazy some people get abo… Read More
2015-09-30 11:30
Biology concepts – twins, dizygotic, delayed interval delivery, steroid hormones, lung development, time of birth Leonardo DiCaprio starred as the twins Louis and Philipe in the l… Read More
2015-09-23 12:00
Biology concepts – twins, genetic linkage, racial phenotypes, skin pigmentation, single nucleotide polymorphism, random assortment, discordant race twinsA great story came out th… Read More
2015-09-16 12:00
Biology concepts – chimeras, microchimerism, autoimmunity, tolerance, self, rejection, graft vs. host disease, HLA, Rh factor Medicine can now accomplish many types of transplants… Read More
2015-09-09 12:00
Biology concepts – chimeras, twins, immune tolerance, ABO blood groups, random assortment The latest Wrath of the Titans movie had a chimeraas one of the monsters that had to be d… Read More
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