生物

Tardigrades, the Most “Immortal” Animal

生物 / 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?

生物 / 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

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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 trigger the immune system and turn the circulatory system of the recipient into a battlefield. What are the differences between the blood types and why are they important to know? ABO and Rh Blood Groups The 8 previously stated blood types are a combination of the ABO blood group and the Rh blood group. There …

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デンキウナギ

生物 / 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 and catfish. Although human deaths from these eels are extremely rare, the electric eels are ranked in one of the most dangerous fish in the world. They are a part of the electric fish family that has special organs that produce electric pulses. How do they produce electricity? Electric eels have three electric organs: the …

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老化

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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 all cells are completely replaced in a human body. If our cells can regenerate damaged parts, why do we age or die? 9 factors that are said to contribute to aging are known as the “Hallmarks of Aging”. But, not much about aging is still certain and is still under extensive research. Hallmarks of Aging …

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フェルミのパラドックスとグレートフィルター

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Introduction As of now, the only lifeforms we see in the universe are of Earth. Many people fancy the idea of extraterrestrial life as portrayed by the countless fantasy franchises that explore a universe filled with unique and distinct life. How exciting it would be, to find bacteria in the Martian soil, fish in the waters of Europa and intelligent life in a neighboring solar system. However, as enticing as this seems, the discovery of such things would practically define our demise. Fermi Paradox There are as many as 6 billion potentially habitable planets in the Milky Way galaxy alone. In this case, let’s say that a habitable planet is …

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ピートのパラドックス

生物 / 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 of cells to work together in sync, there cannot be a rogue cell that cannot function properly with the other cells. Therefore, cells in multicellular organisms have a kill switch that makes the cell undergoes apoptosis in which the cell commits suicide when the cell senses that a part of their system has gone wrong. …

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熱を発する植物

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Introduction If there was a competition to determine the strangest plant in the world, I would nominate the Devil’s Tongue, or as it is more commonly known, the Konjac (yes, the one some people eat). A Konjac plant is huge: it can grow up to 1m in height and 30cm in diameter. And while the lilly itself looks pretty, it also exerts an extremely foul smell. But the weirdness doesn’t end there. The most important feature of this plant is its ability to generate heat just like mammals. Surprisingly, a Konjac’s flower can keep itself up to 15oC warmer than its surroundings by burning off energy at a rapid rate …

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バクテリオファージ

生物、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 target bacteria or archaea and animal or plant cells are not affected. There are several types of phages (will be discussed later), but commonly there are only two types of ways in which phages infect bacteria. ▲Bacteriophages at Work [7] History 1896: Ernest Hanbury Hankin reports that something in the waters of the Ganges and …

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Xenobot（ロボット）

生物、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 the modern organism structure. Its name derives from the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) whose stem cells for the Xenobots were used as the foundations. [2] [4] A xenobot is a biological system smaller than 1 millimeter (0.039) “long, compact enough to fly inside human bodies. Every Xenobots consists only of two cell types: the …

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