Why Earthworms Are a Gardener’s Best Friend
Earthworms are considered a gardener’s best friend for several reasons: Soil aeration: Earthworms burrow through the soil, creating tunnels and air pockets that allow air, water, and nutrients to penetrate the soil more easily. This improves soil aeration, which is important for plant root health. Soil structure: Earthworms also help to improve soil structure by breaking down organic matter and creating channels for water to flow through. This creates a more hospitable environment for plant roots to grow. Nutrient cycling: As earthworms eat their way through the soil, they break down organic matter and release nutrients that plants can use. They also excrete castings (worm poop) that are rich in…
Koala Has Human Like Fingerprints!
The discovery that koalas have human-like fingerprints was a surprising revelation that has captured the attention of the scientific community and the general public alike. In this essay, I will explain this discovery in detail, including the methods used by researchers to uncover this fact and the potential implications of this discovery for the field of biology and beyond. The discovery that koalas have unique fingerprints that resemble human fingerprints was made in 2016 by a team of researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia. The researchers were studying koala genetics in an effort to find ways to protect the species from disease and habitat loss. As part of…
Plasma membrane
Delimiting membrane or boundary of all cells providing the characteristic shape to the cell. Structure ● Composed of approx. 7 nm thick phospholipid bilayer with hydrophilic heads facing outward from both sides into aqueous environment and hydrophobic tails facing inside the bilayer. ● A symmetrical the presence of proteins, floating in the bilayer imparts a fluid mosaic pattern which comprises of (a) Integral/Intrinsic proteins spanning through the lipid bilayer, protruding both extracellular and cytoplasmic sides of membrane. (b) Peripheral/Extrinsic proteins located on outside either extracellular or cytoplasmic surface. (c) Lipid anchored proteins covalently linked to a lipid molecule of bilayer but present outside to it. ● Some oligosaccharides are covalently…
How do oysters make pearls?
Pearls are formed in the body of a sea oyster as a response to an irritant that enters its shell. The irritant can be a foreign object such as a grain of sand or a parasite that makes its way into the oyster’s shell. In response to the irritant, the oyster secretes a substance called nacre (also known as mother-of-pearl) around the irritant to protect its soft body. Over time, multiple layers of nacre are deposited around the irritant, forming a pearl.The process of pearl formation is complex and involves a series of biological and chemical reactions. When the irritant enters the oyster’s shell, the oyster’s mantle (a soft tissue…
Mutation
Mutation is a change in the DNA sequence of an organism’s genetic material. DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the molecule that carries the genetic instructions for the development and function of all living things. DNA is made up of four chemical bases, adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T), which are arranged in a specific sequence to form genes. Genes are the functional units of DNA that encode specific traits and are passed on from parent to offspring. In biology, mutations can occur naturally or as a result of exposure to certain environmental factors such as radiation or chemicals. Natural mutations can arise from errors during DNA replication…
Chromosome
A chromosome is a structure found in cells that is made up of a long strand of DNA, which is the genetic material that contains the instructions for the development and function of all living organisms. Chromosomes are found in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells and play a crucial role in the cell cycle, replication, and transmission of genetic information. Chromosomes are tightly coiled, compact structures that can be seen under a microscope during cell division. The DNA in chromosomes is organized into segments called genes, which contain the instructions for making proteins and other essential molecules for life. Proteins play a critical role in many cellular processes, such as…
Defences Against Diseases
The body has three main lines of defence against disease. These involve mechanical barriers, chemical barriers and cells. Mechanical barriers Although many bacteria live on the surface of the skin, the outer layer of the epidermis seems to act as a barrier that stops them getting into the body. But if the skin is cut or damaged, the bacteria may get into the deeper tissues and cause infection. Hairs in the nose help to filter out bacteria that are breathed in. However, if the air is breathed in through the mouth, this defence is by-passed. Chemical barriers The acid conditions in the stomach destroy most of the bacteria that may…
Which of these cells are not a type of neuroglia found in the CNS
Option C: Schwann cell is the right answer. There are three types of glial cells in the mature central nervous system: astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglial cells. Astrocytes, which are restricted to the brain and spinal cord, have elaborate local processes that give these cells a starlike appearance. The major function of astrocytes is to maintain, in a variety of ways, an appropriate chemical environment for neuronal signaling. Oligodendrocytes, which are also restricted to the central nervous system, lay down a laminated, lipid-rich wrapping called myelin around some, but not all, axons. Myelin has important effects on the speed of action potential conduction. In the peripheral nervous system, the cells that elaborate myelin are called…
How do plants know when to flower?
Phytochrome, a blue-green pigment, is part of a switching mechanism for phototropic responses to light of red and far-red wavelengths. Its active form, Pfr might trigger the secretion of one or more hormones that induce and inhibit flowering at different times of yeat. The main environmental cue for flowering is the length of night, i.e. the hours of darkness, which vary seasonally. Different kinds of plants from flowers at different times of years, depending on their phytochrome mechanism. Products of a set of master gene govern flower formation by selectively acting on meristematic cells of floral shoots. The study of mutants of common wall cress, Arsbidopsis thaliana, supports an ABC…
Sir Alexander Fleming
(August 6 , 1881 – March 11, 1955) Early life and Education Sir Alexander Fleming was a Scottish physician, microbiologist, and pharmacologist, who was born on August 6, 1881 at Lochfield farm near Darvel, in Ayrshire, Scotland. Alexander was the third of four children of farmer Hugh Fleming (1816–1888) from his second marriage to Grace Stirling Morton (1848–1928). In December 1915, Fleming married a trained nurse, Sarah Marion McElroy of Killala, County Mayo, Ireland. Their only child, Robert Fleming (1924–2015), became a general medical practitioner. After his first wife’s death in 1949, Fleming married Dr. Amalia Koutsouri-Vourekas, a Greek colleague at St. Mary’s, on 9th April 1953; she died in…
