Featured Articles
Tiny Plant Virus May Work as Drug Delivery Agent
Viruses are typically viewed as serious health threats. But a team of researchers will try to change that view. They will be trying to use a certain type of virus that would actually help treat disease. This study would someday help provide a new way for doctors to treat diseases as well as how certain medications can be effectively delivered right where they are needed. The discovery of a tiny pl... [Read More]
Strangest Animals in the World
We have seen weird animals before in Animal Planet or Discovery Channel. Below are some of the strangest creatures in the world. God really has a brilliant sense of humor. Star-nosed mole The small North American star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) is found in the north-eastern United States and eastern Canada. It has thick blackish brown water-repellent fur, large scaled feet, and a long, thick ... [Read More]
What is an Ecosystem?
An ecosystem consists of the organisms that live in a certain environment. Known example of these are the forest and the coral reef where organisms thrive and depend on other living creatures to survive. The study of ecosystems and the organisms that dwell in them is known as ecology. The British ecologist Sir Arthur George Tansley was the first to coin this term. He described it as the interactio... [Read More]
The Importance of Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the composition of various organisms found in a particular ecosystem or biome or even for the whole Earth. This can be used as a way to measure how biological systems fare in terms of health. Its existence is very important because of the benefits that it has in terms of the resources it provides to man. It is essential in the maintenance of the agricultural, scientific and economi... [Read More]
New Strain of Avian Flu Virus Could Infect Entire US in 90 Days
In the 2007 film I am Legend, a genetically engineered virus designed to cure cancer mutates into a fatal airborne strain that spreads at an exponential pace worldwide, killing 90% of the world's population in just three years. Only 12 million of the survivors have natural immunity, while the rest degenerated into aggressive and animalistic beings (zombies).In 28 Days Later (2002), a rage virus in... [Read More]
How Synthetic Biology Work
There are some major enabling technologies crucial to the development of synthetic biology. Key concepts include hierarchical abstraction and standardization of biological parts. Fundamental technologies of DNA reading and writing are needed to achieve this. In addition, measurements under various conditions are needed for computer-aided-design and accurate modeling. This article first defines wha... [Read More]
Cells of The Human Body
a story about the enthralling drama in the cellular universe may help you become interested in the cell biology. This article tells the little story of the cells that make up your body. The cells The word "cell" originated from the Latin word, "cellula", which literally means "a small room". It is the functional and structural unit (the smallest unit) of all living or... [Read More]
Combating Resistant Strains of Bacteria Using Genetic Technology
Penicillin was a considered a medical miracle when it became available in 1943 during the WWII, rapidly crippling diseases caused by bacteria. But a few years later, micro-organisms that could resist it began appearing. Today, more and more patients every year suffer because of micro-organisms resistant to antibiotics. But researchers at the Department of Biotechnology at the Norwegian University ... [Read More]
The Wonder of Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is the process of converting light energy coming from sunlight into chemical energy by living organisms. In plants, the raw materials are carbon dioxide and water, the source is the sun, and the end-products are oxygen and different kinds of carbohydrates. Not only plants go through this process but also phytoplankton, algae, certain bacteria, and photosynthetic organisms. Photosynt... [Read More]
Weird Body Trivia
Just when you thought you know your body, nature knocks up something unusual for you to discover. Here are some unusual facts about the human body.A person will die from lack of sleep sooner than they will from starvation, which usually takes a few weeks. This was verified after a Korean reportedly died playing computer games in an internet cafe for five straight days!The stomach produces new mucu... [Read More]