In biology, a population is defined as the number of organisms of the same species that live in the same geographic area at the same time, being also able to interbreed. For this interbreeding to be possible, it is necessary that the individuals have the ability to mate with other members of the population and …
The definition of a point mutation is when a single nucleotide base is changed, inserted, or deleted from a sequence of DNA or RNA. These types of mutations will have several kinds of effects on the final protein product, and these consequences are moderately predictable depending on the specifics of the mutation. They can range …
For those that study anthropology, one of the most common questions they come across is: what is anthropology? The answer to that is quite simple; anthropology is the study of the human being, from a biological, social, psychological and cultural point of view. However, it is a very complex career. It basically aims to understand …
The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that you will find beneath the lungs and heart. It is the primary muscle we use when we breathe and it contracts constantly when you breathe in and out. What is the function of the diaphragm? This is a thin, skeletal muscle and it’s what separates the abdomen from …
A silent mutation is when there’s a change in the sequence of nucleotide bases that make up DNA, but that doesn’t change the amino acid or the function of the protein as a whole. In some cases, a single amino acid will change, but it turns out that it has the same properties as the …
Meiosis is a process by which a eukaryotic cell reduces its chromosomal content and produces germ cells, also known as gametes or sex cells that are needed for sexual reproduction. This means that a cell with a double set of chromosomes (diploid) is divided in half and ends with a single set of chromosomes (haploid), …
A plasmid is a piece of DNA, small and circular, that is not the same as chromosomal DNA since this one is the one that contains all the genetic material found in the chromosomes of an organism. It replicates separately from chromosomal DNA. These plasmids are mostly found in organisms like bacteria, but they have …
The three domains system is a classification used in biology that divides cellular life forms into three categories: archaea, bacteria, and eukaryote domains. It was introduced in 1977 by Carl Woese et al. One of its characteristics is that it points out the separation into two groups of the prokaryotes; Eubacteria (now called bacteria) and …
An anion gap blood test is used when we need to check the levels of acid in the blood. This test is based on the results of an electrolyte panel, another type of blood test. In blood, electrolytes are minerals that are electrically charged and their job is to help control the balance of chemicals …
A collection of individual organisms of the same species that live in a specific area is what is known as a population. But when we want to talk about how the number of individuals of a population changes over time, then we would use the term “population dynamics”. The reason why scientists and biologists pay …
