Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [biology]

Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Use this tag for general biology questions, but also use more specific life science tags to accompany this one if applicable.

Biology

Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines. Among the most important topics are five unifying principles that can be said to be the fundamental axioms of modern biology:

  1. Cells are the basic unit of life
  2. New species and inherited traits are the product of evolution
  3. Genes are the basic unit of heredity
  4. An organism regulates its internal environment to maintain a stable and constant condition
  5. Living organisms consume and transform energy.

Disciplines

Subdisciplines of biology are recognized on the basis of the scale at which organisms are studied and the methods used to study them: biochemistry examines the rudimentary chemistry of life; molecular biology studies the complex interactions of systems of biological molecules; cellular biology examines the basic building block of all life, the cell; physiology examines the physical and chemical functions of the tissues, organs, and organ systems of an organism; and ecology examines how various organisms interact and associate with their environment.

A more comprehensive list is the following:

  • Anatomy
  • Arachnology
  • Astrobiology
  • Botany
  • Biochemistry
  • Biogeography
  • Bioinformatics
  • Biophysics
  • Cell biology
  • Cytology
  • Dendrology
  • Developmental biology
  • Ecology
  • Entomology
  • Ethology
  • Evolutionary biology
  • Embryology
  • Genetics / Genomics
  • Herpetology
  • Histology
  • Human biology / Anthropology / Primatology
  • Ichthyology
  • Limnology
  • Malacology
  • Mammalogy
  • Marine biology
  • Microbiology / Bacteriology
  • Molecular biology
  • Mycology / Lichenology
  • Nematology
  • Neurobiology / Neuroscience
  • Ornithology
  • Parasitology
  • Palaeontology
  • Phycology
  • Phylogenetics
  • Physiology
  • Plant pathology
  • Taxonomy
  • Virology
  • Zoology
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Do houseplants have any impact on oxygen levels?

I usually hear that plants should be placed in working areas to supplement the higher oxygen needs of working humans, or on the other hand, that should never be grown in bedrooms because they drain oxygen for their own respiration during night. I…
mbq
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Is CPH4 from science fiction movie 'Lucy' real?

In the science-fiction film Lucy, the titular character takes a drug called CPH4 that increases her brain capacity. The writer and director of the film, Luc Besson, claims in several interviews that this drug is based on a real chemical…
svick
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Can an air-bubble in a syringe kill the patient?

I have heard of stories where, while giving injection to patient, a doctor forgot to remove all the air from the syringe. The patient died when the air reached to brain. Can injecting air into a vein with a syringe cause death?
Santosh Kumar
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Are humans the only species that hunts down competitors, denies and destroys food for others?

In the book Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, there's a passage that claims "Takers" (i.e. modern man) are the only thing in nature that hunt down competitors, destroy or otherwise deny someone else food. Are there strong arguments to be made that other…
Kit Sunde
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Can cats be herded?

On the site for this year's Amazing Meeting, there's a little joke about how organizing skeptics is like herding cats It's a common belief that (possibly) due to their strong will and independent nature, cats cannot be herded as say, sheep can. In…
Monkey Tuesday
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Can you cause mosquitos to explode from drinking too much blood by flexing your muscles?

I have heard several times as I've grown up that you can flex your muscles to make mosquitos get stuck and explode. Looking around the web, I find several sources claiming the same. Q: If you flex your muscle while a mosquito is biting you, will…
Wertilq
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Are most of the nutrients of vegetables and fruits contained in the peel?

Whenever peeling a fruit or vegetable, someone will usually comment (sarcastically), "that's where all the good stuff is", meaning vitamins, minerals, or whatever. Do the skins or peels of common plants in Western foods (apples, potatoes, carrots,…
Nick T
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Can flatworms learn a maze by digesting other flatworms?

I recently watched the film Phantoms. A scientist in the movie claimed that flatworms were able to "consume" memories from other flatworms. The specific example was that of learning the solution to a maze by digesting ground up flatworms that had…
MrHen
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Did Michael Jackson artificially lighten his skin?

When it comes to superstars of his level, there always seem to be controversies, conspiracies, or some other mystery, and just one of the many surrounding Michael Jackson is that he for some reason intentionally had his skin color…
Monkey Tuesday
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Can you put on more weight than what you eat?

Someone once told me it is possible to have a net weight gain of more than what you eat. For example if you eat a quarter pounder burger you can potentially gain more than 1/4 pounds. Is this true?
Thomas O
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Reading while lying down is more strenuous (unhealthy) for eyes

My friend heard that reading while lying down is more strenuous (unhealthy) for eyes. I like reading in bed (books, tablet). Is there some study that confirms this hypothesis? I use two positions (looking to the book on the side or looking to the…
xralf
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Is this image about child teeth development accurate?

There's a picture on Pinterest depicting a child's skull with all deciduous teeth (baby teeth) still attached, and adult teeth showing in a quite developed stage underneath: The picture is described as "A child’s skull before losing baby teeth".…
Ilari Kajaste
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Is listening to lossy audio more tiring than lossless audio?

Multiple posts on Reddit (Ear fatigue and Audio quality, another comment) claim that it is more tiring to listen to music in a lossy format. The same claim is even repeated on the Wikipedia page for Listener Fatigue, but without any references there…
cdknight
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Is slime mold eaten in Mexico as a dish called "feces of the moon"?

Various web sites make the claim that slime mold is eaten as a dish called "caca de luna" -- feces of the moon -- in Mexico. Sometimes the claim is attached to Fuligo septica, "dog vomit slime mold", as in this representative example: Fuligo…
jwezorek
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Does DNA add credibility to the theory of evolution?

I have yet to make up my mind regarding the theory of evolution. Whilst doing some reading on dnafish I read that DNA itself provides evidence for the theory of evolution: Yeast, trees, flowers, corn, mice, frogs and humans share the same DNA. We…
mulllhausen
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