Biology

There's a new self-cleaning nanotechnology-based sock that cures smelly feet and athlete's foot (see www.agactive.co.uk). The socks contain nano-particles of silver. Does anyone know exactly how silver kills the bacteria/fungus/virus and why haven't they evolved against whatever the mechanism is? Thanks!

please tell me what erythrosine can stain and where i can use erythrosin in biological staining ?

Hello all. I'm new to this forum. I recently came across this video on youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp87AEcgYc4. What is the legitmacy of what he is saying? Is it true that scientists can be this biased for evolution. I didn't think they were. It always seemed that the creastionists were the ones with the biased feelings. I'm a strong believer in evolution and I know there is alot of misinformation and misrepresentation in the creastionist communiting regarding evolution. However, I have yet to think of a refutation for what this man is saying. Neither have I found sufficient evidence to put his claims against evolution to silence. If what he is saying is true…

Do flowers that get pollinated wilt much sooner than ones that are not pollinated, as in insect-free environment ? The [botanical] title should had been properly written [botanics] instead ?

I know almost nothing about biology. Does anybody know of any books that go over all of the basics? Or any good books about cells, DNA, genes, evolution, or neuroscience?

i was making slide of curd after incubating(left it in a vial) for 2 weeks with crystal violet. first time i heat fixed it and stained it with crystal violet and then iodine solution , i got brilliantly purple colored bacteria but when i made slide without heat fixing(i.e. live) they weren't the same and not even stained properly . so please tell me do dyes work differently on dead and alive specimen ?

Dear all, I am in urgent need of identifying the following microorganisms (species or genus) from these SEM images to aid in biofilm investigation, and so wondered whether you good fellows could help me out. I believe ciliates are visible among the bacteria, helping me to identify as many as possible would be extremely helpful!! Also, i would love to hear of anything else you spot of interest in these images that i may have missed. Thanks for your time, here they are: Where they are from: img1 - Brackish Water img2 - Brackish Water img3 - Seawater img4 - Pond Water img5 - Brackish Water *** EDIT: please ignore this section: **** Where they ar…

We are conducting a trial of a process on liquid full cream milk. Control and trial samples are held for analysis on a two day continuous cycle with an unopened sample used for each test. One of the tests is Standard Plate Count. On review of the results we do not understand why there are such wide variances in results between samples tested For example; Result one in test/date order (cfu's) Each successive result is milk two days older than the previous test. The testing facility is an accredited milk analysis laboratory. 7,000 600,000 3,000 2,200,000 160,000 41,000 15,000,000 What explanations could be applied to these results?

I recently got a urinary tract infection which then later on caused me some symptoms that I thought were quite serious. I got chills, felt weak and fatigue, and had a little bit of a hard time breathing. I think my body was lacking some oxygen due to the chronic inflammation that followed after that infection. But now I notice that my body has adapted to that lack of oxygen in which I no longer notice those symptoms anymore. But question is, can my body remain adapted to this? Or will this adaptive mechanism eventually go downhill over time and result in something serious and fatal? I am quite sure I have chronic inflammation which is what is causing this lack of…

Ive read all about food combining and sequntial eating. (chinese, broscience, bullshit or fact based truth?) Now, I totally understand that certain food DO combine well with othes. Eating some salad before my steak always felt right to me. But is there any reasoning to eating foods in a certain order. Lets say at a single meal you have: Steak, Sweet Potato, and Asparagus (just for example) In food combining or more so "sequential/order of eating" you would want to first eat the asparagus, then the potato, then the steak. A la the "order of digestibility" according to the length of time it takes certain foods to digest. (animal protein being the "hardest …

I'm currently working on my undergraduate research project, looking at plant-microbe interactions in the phytoremediation of bisphenol-A from the ground. Basically looking at if and how different bacteria will effect a given plants ability to pull BPA out of the soil. So, past research at the university has used bean plants for experimenting, except bean plants are edible. It really doesn't make sense to collect data on a plant we could never use in actual applications, for risk of humans or animals eating them and all the BPA they've accumulated. Needless to say we're looking for a new model organism. I've been cross referencing known hyperaccumulators to local v…

Hi everyone! I have a question; is there an ethological explination for suicide? I was primarily thinking of suicide in humans, but other animals are of interest as well (though I don't think any other animals actually comit suicide?)... In my human ethology course literature ("Human evolutionary psychology") I tried to look up "suicide" in the index, but it seems the book doesn't deal with the subject at all. So, how does one deal with such things as suicide (which certainly isn't uncommon) in the field of human ethology? Comitting suicide at an early age certainly doesn't maximize an individual's fitness... Thanks in advance for any thoughts on the mat…

So let me start by saying I do have clinically diagnosed OCD I take medication for it and have a therapist, its a constant struggle but generally I am able to overcome my ocd's through logic and reasoning but this time I'm stuck in a rut and hope that maybe someone with a neuroscience background might be able to help me. The problem is regarding something I like to call hamster in a wheel logic, basically I came across someone who told me that the very act of thinking about something strengthens that connection or neural network associated with that thought and so he said that the more you think about something the more you will think about it (in the future) because you'…

Hi, I am a high school teacher and one of my student teams is looking for someone to collaborate with on their Student Spaceflight Experiment Program project. For this project they want to see how Bacillis subtillis reproduces in space. I have E. coli strains (DH5alpha, TG1, XL1blue, and BL21 variants) but no Bacillis subtillis. They could also use some advice about culturing it. If anyone is interested you can post here and I will contact you.

Why are some people so good in physics and math while others constantly fail at these areas? How does genetics and cognitive psychology play a role in someone being very good in physics and math? How does the brain and genes of people like Albert Einstein, Paul Dirac, Stephen Hawking and Michio Kaku differ from those who are not good at physics and math?

The photo is a sample of lab grown DH5-alpha e. coli. There are some long strings that appear to be cells which have not divided completely. Does anyone recognise this mutation? I'd appreciate some information. Thanks!

Hey guys. I need ideas as google isnt much of a friend or I just dont know what to look for. So if you have TWO student groups/organizations/associations about biology (Id concentrate on microbiology but anything works), on two different continents (in this case Europe and North America), what are ways those two can work together, besides sharing ideas? Are there any ways? I'd really like to spread connections, allow myself and others to meet other people to share and explore ideas. Joined projects would be awesome but Im not sure how that would work out, so if anyone has LITERALLY ANY ideas, please do share. Also sorry if this is in the wrong section, no idea where to …

There is a link between pellagra and B3 deficiency. I was wondering why gastrointestinal issues are first to present in pellagra? I had found information about this previously but now, no amount of googling seems to be bringing this information up on any other websites or journals. any help is appreciated!!

My mom is about 5'1 and my dad is 5'6 and my mom and dad have a hisory of of short and tall people in their family,im 5'6 and a half and im 15 years old its bothering me a lot and i want to know if i will grow any taller

Does anyone have any experience in growing unicellular algae? I don't have access to lab grade chemicals so I will have to use commercial fertilizers, "Miracle Grow" powder is my easiest choice and it does come in a few different formulations. I have finally got my fiberglass vat cleaned out and I plan to use about 300 gallons of water and an infusion of green aquarium water than has shown an usual persistence in one of my aquariums. Any ideas about how much miracle grow to use and or which type, it doesn't have to be perfect but the last time i tried it all I got was a very tough sheet algae which was worthless for my purposes. I am thinking of a 1/4 cup for the …

I have become interested in genetics. However, it is such a vast topic that I don't even know where to start. Anyone have any ideas on how to jump into such a complicated subject?

Hey SFN community. I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to sample the exact same set of points within a yeast colony. I am trying to sample points from the center to the outer edge of a perfect circular yeast colony. The issue if trying to determine where the exact center is. If you need any more details, please let me know. Michael

Hello I am a science buff and recently added a stereo microscope to my collection of tools. I have been researching the subject of "slide making" on the internet, but, information seems to be limited. There are many videos on how to make a slide from an onion, but not much else. I understand that there are two kinds of mounts: wet and dry. I want to learn more as I would like to begin building my own slide library. I just returned from Barns & Nobel, hoping to find books on slide making, but nothing. So my question: Can someone recommend books on Slide Making? Also, I would like recommendations for "Slide Preparation Kits". A pre made kit is …

Some bacteria, which have been linked to control of IBD and a reduced risk of colon cancer, grow on pectin in the large intestine. I am doing a horrible experiment, with a sample size of 1 (me) and a bunch of things not kept constant between the experiments - please forgive me. But I'm really interested to know if there is a biological basis for my findings, or if it is likely just coincidence. I have indeterminate ulcerative colitis/crohn's disease. Experiment 2 weeks: I found that cooking apples and eating them in my porridge gave me the best control in the 10 years since I was diagnosed. 2 weeks: I stopped eating apples and my symptoms got worse. 2 weeks…

Can heterotrophic bacteria be observed clearly under a compound microscope, like those on stale food