Biology

Tardigrades, the Most “Immortal” Animal

Biology / By

Tardigrades, commonly known as “water bears”, are micro-animals that have plump bodies and eight stubby legs. Depending on the species, they range in size from 0.1 to 1.5 mm. They are covered in a tough cuticle, similar to the exoskeletons of grasshoppers, and have four to six claws on the end of their legs. These claws are made of chitin and they grab things to propel themselves forward. Their unique mouthpart is called a bucco pharyngeal apparatus, which allows them to extract nutrients from plants and microorganisms. Tardigrades do not have a respiratory system and instead, they exchange gas throughout their whole body. There are more than 1000 different tardigrade species and they all belong to an elite category of animals that can withstand just about any extreme condition.

Lockdowns: Are empty beaches helping the turtles?

Biology / By

Almost a year has passed since the first outbreak of the coronavirus was recorded in Wuhan, China. Lockdowns are practiced around the world and as a result, wildlife is thriving in deserted cities and tourist spots. One example is the leatherback sea turtles, with reports in the increasing number of hatchlings, thanks to Thai tourists that are staying at home amid the dire situation. Environmentalists have found 11 leatherback sea turtle nests as of April since last November which is the highest number in 20 years.

Human Blood Types

Biology / By

Human Blood Types Generally, there are 8 common blood types in the human race. They are A+, A-, B+. B-, AB+, AB-, O+, and O-. During blood transfusion, the blood types of the donor and the recipient are heavily checked upon to ensure that they are of compatible blood types. A mismatching blood type will …

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Electric Eels

Biology / By

What are Electric Eels? You might have seen electric eels in aquariums. They do not look fancy or interesting with their long, dark green or grayish cylindrical bodies and flattened heads. They can grow up to 2.5m and weigh up to 20kg.  Despite their name, electric eels are not eels. They’re scientifically closer to carp …

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Aging

Biology / By

Why Do We Age? Cells have the entire blueprint of the host organism as DNA. Human bodies are composed of these cells that continuously regenerate themselves. Each cell deteriorates over time or are destroyed by external factors such as wounds, but will eventually be replenished by cellular division. It is said that after 7~10 years …

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Peto’s Paradox

Biology / By

What is Cancer? To understand cancer, we must first understand the cell. The cell is a complex structure run only by biochemical pathways or interactions of proteins, that constitutes the magic we know as life. This system is not complete, however, and it is susceptible to mistakes. In complex organisms (multicellular organisms) that require billions …

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Bacteriophage

Biology, JP / By

What is a Bacteriophage? A bacteriophage (A.K.A. phage) is a virus for bacteria. The term “Bacteriophage” was created from “bacteria” and the greek word “φαγεῖν (phagein)” that means “to devour”. There are more phages than every other organism combined, including bacteria (10^31). Up to 70% of marine bacteria are potentially infected by phages. Phages only …

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Xenobots

Biology, Robotics / By

Overview Xenobots are microbots made from biological cells and developed and programmed by a computer. We are literally “talking robots,” which are the first programmable mode of life in the world. Researchers, who were recently created in 2020, used an Evolutionary Algorithm * to construct the xenobots and were successfully able to program and design …

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