Monthly Archives: April 2016
Toucan Play That Game
Carnival of Cloning
Dolly the sheep, the world’s first mammal cloned from an adultImage from Wikimedia Commons The topic of cloning has become a controversial issue in today’s world. The idea of cloning was first introduced in the late 1800’s when scientist, Hans … Keep Reading
Living Life in the Slow Lane
People always know about the fastest animals on earth but how much do they know about the slowest animals on earth? Sloths are known as the slowest animals on earth, but tortoises and snails are right along with the sloth … Keep Reading
Begin to be Vegan
Walk through any line of the grocery store, and I guarantee you will find some new diet that promises you weight loss, or stomach cleanse. One type of diet plan that has become increasingly popular, especially among young adults, is … Keep Reading
The Original H1N1
One of the most interesting disease pandemics in history was the Spanish Flu. “La Grippe” as it was called, broke out in 1918, during World War 1. It is estimated that between 20% and 40% of the world’s population became … Keep Reading
Biological Weapons and What They Have Taught Us
Humans have always had a remarkable capability to bend nature to fit our own needs. Throughout the centuries, we have become more and more adept at this manipulation as our understanding of nature and technology has continued to grow. This … Keep Reading
Obesity and Inheritance: A Closer Examination of Epigenetics
Image from Wikimedia Commons Epigenetics, contrary to traditional Mendelian laws of genetics, examines the characteristics passed from generation to generation, and the expression of genes that can even differ in the parent via phenotype-not a mutation in genotype. The phenomenon … Keep Reading
The Biology of Attraction
Movies and television shows today often focus on romance and love to drive their stories forward and keep audiences invested. Many times, this “love” is portrayed as a mystical force that we are unable to understand. Evolutionary biologists and geneticists … Keep Reading
The Amazing Senses of Catfish
Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)Image from Wikimedia Commons Some may think of Catfish as a savory snack, others as a challenge to catch, or yet even as an interesting TV show; however these bottom feeders are actually fascinating creatures. They reside … Keep Reading
How Protocells Formed The First Colonies
Among the many biological mysteries is the question regarding how even the most primitive life forms could have evolved into more complex organisms. It is a generally mutual belief that the first life form was a single-cellular being with very … Keep Reading
Mother Nature’s Beef with Human Carnivores
Image from Wikimedia Commons Beef, it is one of America’s most beloved food. Beef is a staple to not only the American diet but numerous diets of other nationalities too. In fact, it is the third most consumed meat in … Keep Reading
Can Sliced Meat Have Aided Human Evolution?
Early members of Homo, the human genus, had a flair for preparing raw sliced meat, a new study suggests. That meaty diet may have literally changed the face of Homo evolution, especially that of the Homo sapiens group. It also … Keep Reading