Have you ever DNA extraction from a banana? I have. The DNA in solution was so pretty! It looked like sparkling silk threads with tiny bubbles in it floating around in a viscous material. It reminded me of silk webs. For reference on how to do this: How lovely the “molecule of life” is. It…
Sandbox Tree
The sandbox tree (Hura crepitans and H. polyandra) has pumpkin-shaped seeds that explode. They have poisonous seeds, bark, and leaves. It’s trunk is also studded with short, conical prickles. These trees can be found throughout tropical America and the seed capsules were once used by the British as sandboxes for blotting ink.
Sea Sparkle
A species of dinoflagellate known as Noctiluca scintillans are a type of bioluminescent algae that lives in the ocean. When an algal bloom occurs, they cause the shores to sparkle. It is a spectacular sight that inspires the imagination, but unfortunately, can also result in the production of substances that are potentially toxic to marine…
Dr. Temple Grandin: Livestock Behaviour, Design of Facilities, and Humane Slaughter
Dr. Temple Grandin is a scientist who studies livestock behaviour, design of facilities, and humane slaughter. She designed curved chute race systems for cattle that are used worldwide and have helped many people reduce the stress on their animals during handling and humane slaughter. Reducing the amount of stress that animals experience during handling makes…
The Mechanism of Death
When a person actually dies, what happens is that a group of cells sends out the signal through cell communication to commit apoptosis, programmed cell death, throughout the body before dying themselves. Scientists think that if they can figure out a way to halt this process, many lives will be saved, but we are still…
Dancing In the Rain
Many people dislike the rain because they find it to be a depressing nuisance. However, there are many great reasons to love the rain. One could to curl up in a warm blanket and sleep while it falls. The rain also causes things shimmer and adds a fresh smell to the air. Frogs croak, reeds…
Synchronization
Did you know that male fireflies in Malaysia flash in unison in order to send mating signals to females? They all land on a tree and start to pulse. Eventually, it gets to where they light up the whole tree while pulsing in unison. Like the fireflies, there are many living things that synchronize and…
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