What is one of the most interesting biological facts you know?

There's lots that I know and find interesting, but a fact that the colder and larger the (bed)room, the more the likely chances of having a (bad) dream. However, that's not necessarily the case for me. Sometimes I have (bad) dreams in warm rooms.

Reply 21

Trill

14

Blondes have more hair density than redheads

Reply 22

username1539513

21

Original post by Changing Skies

One thing I love about studying biology is that I find myself learning something new and amazing every lecture!

Do you have any favourite biology facts? :biggrin:

That men are capable of breastfeeding

Reply 23

.Iqra.

18

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For every pound of fat gained, you add seven miles of new blood vessels

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By the age of eighteen your brain stops growing.

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Dead people can get goosebumps

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The blood from a human erection has enough blood to keep 3 gerbils alive.

Reply 24

.Iqra.

18

If you rub an onion on your foot – within 30 – 60 minutes you will be able to taste it – this is because it travels through the blood stream

Reply 25

SummerStrawberry

15

Here are maps detailing the biochemical pathways in a cell. You have about 37,200,000,000,000 cells. Each cell is made up of different parts, capable of working with other cells in order to perform functions. Somehow, the whole thing works and you don't die.

Each of us has a brain, but we know more about stars on the other side of the galaxy than we do about it. Somewhere inside that floating slab of meat is you, and whatever you actually is is also capable of caring about and understanding other people's floating slabs of meat, as well as the world around it. Perhaps more weirdly, it's capable of wanting to learn more about itself, and coming up with ways to do so. It can wonder, it can reason, and it can comprehend.

But it, as with everything else in the universe, is made up of the same stuff. Atoms are made up of nuclei and electrons; nuclei are made up of protons and neutrons; protons and neutrons are made up of quarks held together by gluons; and then there's the rest of the standard model.

Biology has a beautiful perfection in how it integrates with its environment; perhaps it's the universe's way of understanding and experiencing itself.

Reply 26

Zakadoh

12

Original post by SummerStrawberry

Here are maps detailing the biochemical pathways in a cell. You have about 37,200,000,000,000 cells. Each cell is made up of different parts, capable of working with other cells in order to perform functions. Somehow, the whole thing works and you don't die.

Each of us has a brain, but we know more about stars on the other side of the galaxy than we do about it. Somewhere inside that floating slab of meat is you, and whatever you actually is is also capable of caring about and understanding other people's floating slabs of meat, as well as the world around it. Perhaps more weirdly, it's capable of wanting to learn more about itself, and coming up with ways to do so. It can wonder, it can reason, and it can comprehend.

But it, as with everything else in the universe, is made up of the same stuff. Atoms are made up of nuclei and electrons; nuclei are made up of protons and neutrons; protons and neutrons are made up of quarks held together by gluons; and then there's the rest of the standard model.

Biology has a beautiful perfection in how it integrates with its environment; perhaps it's the universe's way of understanding and experiencing itself.

My favourite thing about this is that the caring, understanding, eagerness to learn, wondering, reasoning and comprehension are all concepts that were created to understand the brain that is being described within the brain itself

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 27

TheReader

3

Original post by chazwomaq

Marine flatworms engage in "penis" fencing when they mate. They try to stab each other in the body with their protrusions and inject each other with sperm.

The loser becomes the mother.

Wow!
Apparently male bonobos can also engage in "penis fencing".

Reply 28

shawtyb

20

Original post by FluffyCommie

Fish don't technically exist.

how?

Original post by yoda123

Male giraffes use their long neck to hit female giraffes in the bladder, cause the female to urinate. The male giraffe then proceeds to drink the urine to find out if the female is ovulating. Then they bang

seriously?

Reply 29

shawtyb

20

Original post by sulaimanali

There's lots that I know and find interesting, but a fact that the colder and larger the (bed)room, the more the likely chances of having a (bad) dream. However, that's not necessarily the case for me. Sometimes I have (bad) dreams in warm rooms.

might be why i have them all the time

Reply 30

0lut0

20

All human embryos start off as females.

Reply 31

Serine Soul

18

There exists an enzyme in our cells (it is involved on the production of nucleotides - for protein synthesis) which catalyses a reaction that would otherwise take 78 million years to occur, to happen in a matter of 18 milliseconds.

OMP decarboxylase it's called :awesome:

Reply 32

Joinedup

20

That mosses have motile sperm.

Reply 33

yoda123

15

Original post by shawtyb

seriously?

Reply 34

TheReader

3

Original post by 0lut0

All human embryos start off as females.

nah. Genetically they're either male or female.

Reply 35

CTLeafez

22

I learnt this yesterday in my Molecular Biology book.Basically there are some viruses which enter your cells and combine their RNA with your DNA in a process known as the Lysogenic Cycle meaning that the virus is replicated through hijacking your own cell's ribosomes and synthesises virus proteins or it can lay dormant for years and even transcend generations if it binds with the DNA of your gametes. Bit scary if you ask me to think I could have a dormant virus within me which is literally now part of my DNA and will become active again in my future children ;D

Reply 36

Laomedeia

21

Bone density and muscle mass suffers under the deficit of gravity.

Also I cant remember which whale it was, but one species of whale has a 9 foot penis. Altho most welsh are pretty well hung.

Reply 37

Captain Jack

20

Original post by Changing Skies

One thing I love about studying biology is that I find myself learning something new and amazing every lecture!

Do you have any favourite biology facts? :biggrin:

Argh, I can't remember the exact stat, but the seam that we have down the middle of our body is related to an interesting fact... can someone else remember what that is?

Oh, my favourite fact actually is actually how life was probably created by the merger of two microbes, creating the structure of cells in every living thing on earth: http://www.bbc.co.uk/timelines/z9hwjxs#zgxk87h

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 38

0lut0

20

Original post by TheReader

nah. Genetically they're either male or female.

Are you sure? Matthew Santoro said it in #50 amazing facts.