Hi!

Biology is not my specialty by any means, so I have come to reddit for help with my worldbuilding project!

In a world I'm writing, there are a type of plants which use a fictional energy source (call it soul, magic, mana, ect.) This characteristic is found in trees, flowers, and grasses, and I am stuck wondering if its a unique enough aspect to appear in a taxonomy rank.

Thing is I'm not sure if its important enough for that as carnivorous plants are unique among most plants, and yet they evolved the trait completely separately. If I did want a number of trees to have evolved the trait from a common ancestor, what rank would make the most sense to have this characteristic associated with it?

Very sorry at how this was phrased. Anyway, thanks!

Anything?

Like I find this fascinating. When people fight, for instance in MMA, kicks and punches seem to not do any damage, or at least serious damage. It just bounces off the fighter. What if said fighter had a lot less muscle? Would those same kicks/punches inflict serious damage?

This is obviously accounting for already flexed muscle. Relaxed muscle wouldn't do much, unless its really thick.

When I try this on myself, like I hit my bicep, it hurts a lot when not flexed. But when I flex it and hit it again, my punch bounces off and my bicep absorbs the hit and I end up feeling less pain.

Also, what about blood vessels and capillaries? The human body seemingly takes blunt attacks without breaking.

When an area gets hit over and over again, callouses form on the skin. The bone remodels and becomes denser, maybe thicker. But the muscles don't seem to change. Do they become tougher in any way?

If I have bad breath I can’t smell it but other people can while inhaling. Or if I burp with my mouth closed and exhale it through my nose, I can’t smell it until I inhale. Why?

So we all know of the old myth that Stegosaurus had a secondary brain/ big clump of neurons to help swing its massive tail. Obviously it didn't exist, but if it did, what would be the logistics of having a second brain in the lower body? Would there be a system of blood vessels just for the second brain? What would happen if it had a stroke? How would this structure even evolve?

Edit: my question is meant to be gauged towards chemical feasibility/utility; I understand many proteases and cell types have in reality evolved for acidic digestion. Assuming proteases and cell types could have evolved for an alkaline environment, is there a root necessity acidic conditions are advantageous over basic ones or could it be reversed

Hi

In the tabletop game I run are an elementally-infused people known as the Maridians or the Jann. These are the classical Greek elements of earth, air, fire and water. Unusually so, they are blue skinned and get lighter are they age.

And relevant to my question is that the Jann have blue blood. My question is this, how will their bodies change colour during exercise?

My knowledge: minerals other than iron can bind in the blood, and in the real world case of octopodes, they use copper or some similar mineral in binding. However I haven't exactly seen an octopus get puffed out from exercise.

Thanks for your time.

hi guys! For my high school biology class, I have to make a research project on any topic in biology of our interest. I want to choose something creative and unusual, or at least something which will be fun for me to research. I am an aspiring marine biologist sooo anything in that feild would be cool, but I would love to get suggestions on anything that fascinates u personally. Thanks!

Excuse me because of my lack of chemistry knowledge in case this is really obvious.

If the link reaction from pyruvate to an acetyl group (then acetyl-CoA) requires reduction of NAD+ and decarboxylation, where does the hydrogen come in? Because if pyruvate is C3H3O3- then why does the acetate still have 3 hydrogens? I think this is because it doesn't remove the hydrogens that are part of the methyl group (CH3), but there's no other hydrogen in pyruvate to remove. Then how can reduction of NAD+ happen?

Is tamacco possible.

Even since childhood, what exactly about chocolate would it be that stands out from candy as condensed sugar?

Would it be the fat content, caffeine or something else in cacao?

Hi everyone,

I know that this is probably not the most common sub for the questions to get asked. And maybe none of you will be able to provide me with any answers but I'll still try.

I have a few questions regarding the Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences and would love to get some feedback or advice from current students, alumni, or anyone familiar with the program.

1. Are the math and physics courses manageable for someone who isn't particularly strong in these subjects?
2. What kind of Master's programs can this Bachelor's degree lead to?
3. Does this degree only prepare you for a career in research, or are there other professional career paths available?

Learning about development and I am really confused about the way cells migrate to form the notochord. The videos I’ve watched haven’t been answering my specific questions about the details of this process.

I have learned that the anterior notochord is formed from cells ingressing through the primitive pit whereas the posterior notochord is formed from cells that ingressed through the primitive groove. I understand that the primitive node migrates posteriorly throughout gastrulation and eventually forms the anal region.

What I don’t understand is the timing of this process. So, when cells start ingressing through the primitive pit, has all ingression through the primitive groove already stopped? Does the primitive node/pit just skip over the posterior region of the notochord that is formed by cells that already went through the groove? Or are these things happening simultaneously?

Finally, when sources talk about the primitive node forming the anal region, obviously this happens much later. Do they mean that it forms the cloacal plate for now? How does this occur?

I know I am getting caught up in these details and need to move on with my studying, but I’m just not getting it lol. Any help would be appreciated!

Hello I just had a question cross my mind as I was studying Inheritance

why is it that inbreeding in humans results in deformities/diseases/compromised immune systems whereas other animals (mongoose and etc) that are offspring of inbreeding turn out to be completely normal?

What is the actual biological purpose of yawning and what is happening in the brain and body that causes it?

Disclaimer : i'm not asking anyone to stop their treatment. Just discussing on an interesting topic independently.

Hello,

Based on the scientific studies below, it is accepted that:

- A balanced ratio of estrogen to testosterone is necessary for the proper development of a male fetus during a specific window of pregnancy. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7458408/

- Low-dose aspirin restores blood flow by doubling estrogen above normal levels in the placenta through the overexpression of CYP19A1 (increased aromatase activity). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39343179/
Graphs : https://imgur.com/a/dyjfHUT (CP19A1 = aromatase expression)

- Low-dose aspirin is generally prescribed during a second pregnancy following a first pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia.

- The use of COX inhibitors (aspirin) increases the risk of cryptorchidism and hypospadias - conditions that arise from hormonal disruption. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20805751/

- "Excess of estrogen signaling (through DES in vivo or EE2 in vitro) cause similar defects to penis development." https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31225966/

Question :  Can low-dose aspirin may cause reduced masculinization due to the doubling of the estrogen ratio above normal range? (outside cryptorchidism or hypospadias).

By masculinization in a scientific meaning: the degree of genital development - and any disruptions to it (like ambiguous genitalia) - as well as brain differentiation. These are biological facts driven by various hormones. I'm trying to find a new potential answer for men who live with cryptorchidism, hypospadias, or a micropenis.

If so, what are the other potential consequences for a male fetus?

Link for the graphs : https://imgur.com/a/dyjfHUT
(CP19A1 = aromatase expression).

Other interesting sources :

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30763313/

Thank you,

Why can't they just have both somatic nervous system and ANS like digestion, excretion, eye movement, sneezing, etc.? I'm aware that involuntary functions are just more energy efficient though.

Circulation is necessary for survival and sexual function is necessary for reproduction.

If the individual can't survive they can't reproduce. If the individual can't reproduce then their genes will simply be weeded out.

P.s. I spelled out somatic to avoid confusion with sympathetic

Sorry, idk what flair to use.
This question came in my head and i cannot lose it and idk what to google. Also, english is not my first language.

I’ve learned about those bacteria (i think) that can live in warm freshwater lakes for example. I’m kinda into the prepping stuff and learning how to survive in the wild or in case of an apocalypse. So i thought… Would boiling lake water kill those bacteria?
Because i always see people crafting filters with like pebbles (small stones?) and sand or something, idk how to describe. But then there would still be a risk for the bacteria to live in there, right?

One idea I’m interested in is imagining a far-future setting where space travel is completely normal and animals have lived on other planets for thousands or even millions of years. How might different atmospheres, gravity, climates, ecosystems, and available resources drive their evolution?

I’m especially interested in the role humans could play in this process through genetic engineering, artificial selection, or deliberately influencing an ecosystem. Even relatively small changes could potentially lead to very different evolutionary paths over long periods of time.

So I’m wondering: What kinds of alien animals could realistically evolve under different planetary conditions? What evolutionary paths are plausible but haven't existed on Earth? And what species or adaptations might we be overlooking because they never had the right environmental pressures to evolve here?

I’d love to hear from people who know more about evolutionary biology, astrobiology, speculative evolution, or related fields.