Concise answers to science questions from students and the public.
See my blog at The BioScience Corner.
Cell Cycle
-Things to Know About Mitosis for a Test.
-What Happens When Mitosis Goes Wrong?
-Does Mitosis or Meiosis Occur More in Your Body?
-Why Does DNA Content Increase During Interphase?
-How Does Mitosis Affect Life?
-A Description of the Purpose of Mitosis.
-Similarities of Mitosis and Meiosis.
-What Is Found in Binary Fission but Not in Mitosis?
-Internal Factors That Influence Cell Division.
-The Role of Microfilaments in Cytokinesis.
-Are Daughter Cells in Mitosis Identical to the Parent?
-What Happens in Early Interphase? (G1, G0 Phase).
Enzymes
General Questions
-What Can Be Learned From the Name of an Enzyme?
-Description of the Basic Functions of Enzymes in Cells.
-What Are the Effects of Boiling & Freezing on Enzyme Activity?
-How Enzyme Activity Changes as Enzyme Concentration Decreases.
-What Must Be Held Constant When Testing the Effects of Enzyme Concentration on Enzyme Activity?
-What Is Varied When Testing the Effect of pH on Enzyme Activity?
-Enzyme Activity Plotted Against pH.
-Characteristics of Enzyme Binding Sites
-Chemicals That Block Enzyme Activity
-What Is Varied When Testing the Effect of pH on Enzyme Activity?
-Chemicals That Block Enzyme Activity
-What Is the Optimum Temperature to Maximize the Rate of Enzyme Activity?
-What Blocks Enzyme Activity by Binding to the Active Site of an Enzyme?
-What Is the Effect of Substrate Concentration on Enzyme Activity?
Types of Enzymes
-The Characteristics of Pancreatic Digestive Enzyme Function.
-Limitations of Enzyme Activity on Starch (Amylase).
-Characteristics of the Lipoprotein Lipase Enzyme.
Health & Medicine
-What Isotope Is Used to Study the Thyroid Gland?
-What Is the Chemical Makeup of Sebum?
Laboratory Techniques
Scientific Method
-What Can Affect Chemistry Results?
-Drawbacks of Qualitative Evaluation in Chemistry Experiments.
-What Are Byproducts in Biology?
-How to Collect Data From a Science Project.
-Three Ways for Scientists to Communicate Their Results of Scientific Research.
-The Six Parts of an Experimental Science Project.
Techniques
-Tips for Transferring Small Volumes in PCR (or Other) Experiments.
-What Is the First Step in a Polymerase Chain Reaction?
-The Advantages of Studying Cells Under a Light Microscope.
-What Is a Mordant in Microbiology?
-Four Ways to Insert Foreign DNA Into Cells.
-Methods for Separating Viable and Non-Viable Cells.
-Factors That Affect Transformation Efficiency.
-The Advantages of Using Sticky End Enzymes.
-What Is the Use of Genetic Engineering to Transfer Human Genes Into Bacteria?
-What Kinds of Genes Do Plasmids Have?
-Why Does Chromatography Work?
-Biochemistry Blotting Techniques.
-What Is the Advantage of Using Stains to Look at Cells?
Gene Expression: DNA, RNA, and Protein
-Difference Between Attached & Detached Ribosomes.
-What Is the Difference Between Continuous & Discontinuous DNA Synthesis?
-What Enzyme Adds Nucleotides to the DNA Chain?
-What Is the E-Site on a Ribosome?
-What Is the Chromatin's Function?
-Which Mechanism Ensures the Accuracy of DNA Replication?
Genetics
-What Potential Does Genetic Testing Offer Society?
-Examples of Genetic Characteristics.
-Examples of a Recessive Allele.
-What Can Happen if Meiosis Goes Wrong?
-The Reason for Incubating at Different Temperatures in Microbiology.
-What Is the Physical Expression of an Allele?
-Do Somatic Mutations Occur in the Sex Chromosomes?
-Describe the Various Sources of Genetic Variation and How They Arise.
-Why Is Bioinformatics Important in Genetic Research?
General Science Questions
-What is Comparative Biochemistry?
-Microbiology vs. Biochemistry.
-What Can Science Learn From The Humanities?
-What Sub-Field of Biology Is The Best?
-Why Must There Be So Much Memorization In Biology?
-How should I study for biology?
-Ebola - How did the two nurses get infected?
-When do good evidence and sound arguments fail?
Cell Biology
-What Does the Egg Cell Contribute to the Zygote?
-Which Organelles Are Considered the Cell's Recycling Center?
-What Causes the Release of Calcium From the Endoplasmic Reticulum?
-Structural Characteristics of Cells That Synthesize Lipids.
-Types of Membrane Junctions Between Cells.
-What Is a Cytoskeleton's Function?
-What Structural Role Do Phospholipids Play in Cells?
-Role of Lysosomes in Homeostasis.
-What Are the Major Chemical Elements Found in Cells in Biology?
-What Colors Are the Cells in Your Body?
-What Do the Centrioles Do in the Interphase?
-Describe the Effects of Environmental Conditions on the Cell Cycle.
Biochemistry
General Questions
-Does Bonding Exist in Substances That Consist of Discrete Molecules?
-What Is a Micelle in Biochemistry?
-How Does the Chemical Structure of Water Explain Cohesion?
Membranes
-What Characteristics of Cell Membranes Influence the Rate of Diffusion Across Them?
-What Kinds of Materials Move Through the Membrane by Facilitated Diffusion?
-What Are the Two Main Types of Diffusion & Osmosis?
Ecology
-Does Rain Water Contain Nitrogen?
-Pesticides That Cause Water Pollution.
-What Enzymes Does Mercury Inhibit?
-Toxic Chemicals in Solar Panels.
-The Environmental Impacts of Polyurethane Foam.
-UV Light in Waste Water Treatment.
-What Chemicals Are in Plastic Bottles?
-The Areas Most Impacted by Water Pollution.
-Environmental Problems That Affect Homeostasis.
-Pollution Due to Chemical Industries.
-Environmental Problems Associated With Recycling Aluminum.
-How Does Acid Rain Affect Buildings & Statues?
Physiology
-What Is the Purpose of Homeostasis?
-Four Structural Roles of the Skeletal System.
-The Two Types of Exocrine Secretory Cells in the Stomach.
-Do Cilia Help Sweep Materials Out of the Respiratory System?
-What Are Characteristics & Functions of Osmosis?
-What Is the Last Fluid Through Which Nutrients Pass Before Encountering the Cell's Plasma Membrane?
-How Cells Get Rid of Wastes by Osmosis & Diffusion.
-The Main Focus of Physiology.
-What Molecule Supplies Energy for Muscle Contractions? (ATP)
Neurobiology
-How the Plasma Membrane in a Neuron Works.
-Elongated Cells That Can Conduct Impulses.
-What Are the Two Ways That Neurotransmitter Activity Is Terminated?
Immunology
-What Is the Function of Helper T-Cells in the Body?
-Communication Between Two Immune System Cells.
-How the Immune Response Contributes to Homeostasis.
