Regina's Biology Blog April 2006 Archive

A diploid cell is a cell that contains two sets of chromosomes. One set of chromosomes is donated from each parent. For example, humans have 2 sets of 23 chromosomes for a ... Read More

Bioengineers from the University of California, Berkeley have developed artificial compound eyes. The findings from this discovery are published in the April 28 issue of the journal Science. The artificial eyes were ... Read More

The nervous system is responsible for sending, receiving, and interpreting information from all parts of the body. This system can be divided into two parts: the central nervous system (brain ... Read More

The atrioventricular (AV) node is a section of nodal tissue that lies near the bottom of the right atrium. Functions of the AV node include: Delays cardiac impulses from the sinoatrial ... Read More

Scientists have identified a new protein that destroys anthrax bacteria. This protein, called PlyPH, will attack anthrax bacteria and cause them to explode. PlyPH is similar to the PlyG protein that ... Read More

The principles that govern heredity were discovered by a monk named Gregor Mendel in the 1860's. One of these principles, now called Mendel's law of segregation, states that allele pairs separate ... Read More

Deserts are dry areas that experience extremely small amounts of rainfall. One of the biggest misconceptions about deserts is that they are all hot. The amount of rainfall, not temperature, ... Read More

In an attempt to change the function of proteins, scientists have discovered how to create a family of thousands of mutated versions of a protein. This task was accomplished by changing ... Read More

All animals have common names. These names may be different for the male and female of a species, as well as for their young. For example, a female sheep is ... Read More

Scientists have discovered the fossil remains of a new animal species that appears to have been a cross between a fish and an early tetrapod. The findings from this discovery are ... Read More

The cerebral cortex is the outermost layer of the cerebrum. It is divided into four main lobes or regions. The temporal lobes make up one of these regions. The temporal ... Read More

Frogs have a very interesting anatomy. They have highly specialized structures, such as a long, sticky tongue. They also have other structures however, that appear useless. Their weak teeth are an ... Read More

Biology and humor, as most students know, don't usually go hand in hand. It's always nice however, to step back and take a humorous look at biology. For instance, here are some ... Read More