r/AskBiology

I would like to ask does Bacteria die ?

I'm sure this one has been asked plenty of times, but I'm just curious. For example, I can control my heart rate with a variance of 65 bpm (50-115 bpm), blood oxygen by 10%, and for whatever reason, my limbs have exceedingly unusual flexibility which I have full control over. I was curious how much control we consciously have over other organs, like our intestines, skin, etc.

Sometime in the last week or so, I came across something which amazed me: a functional gene which was "hidden" inside another gene, and could be transcribed (or translated?) via a frame shift of a single nucleotide. The thing is, I don't know where I read or heard it, and I can't find it again! Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

I used to think biology was mostly memorizing names of organs and processes. Then I found out how ridiculously weird living things actually are.

A few facts that completely changed how I see biology:

• Your body is constantly replacing itself. Many of the cells in your body are replaced over time, while others can stick around for decades. You're basically a constantly rebuilt version of yourself.
• Your stomach doesn't digest itself. It produces extremely strong acid, but its lining has protective mechanisms that help keep the acid from destroying the stomach itself.
• Some plants can “communicate.” When attacked by insects, certain plants release chemicals into the air that can trigger defensive responses in neighboring plants.
• Your mitochondria have their own DNA. The “powerhouses of the cell” aren't just another random cell component. They have their own genetic material, which is one of the biggest clues to their ancient evolutionary origin.
• Octopuses are basically evolutionary aliens. They have three hearts, blue blood, and a nervous system so unusual that a huge proportion of their neurons are located in their arms.
• Your immune system has memory. After encountering some pathogens, certain immune cells can “remember” them, allowing your body to respond much faster the next time.
• There are more bacterial cells living in and on you than you might expect. Your body is an ecosystem, not just a collection of human cells.

And that's the crazy part: these aren't even the weirdest things biology has to offer.

The deeper you go, the more biology starts feeling less like memorizing facts and more like discovering how unbelievably strange life actually is.

What biology fact made you suddenly realize, “okay, this subject is actually fascinating”?

This isn't a medical question, just my own curiosity. If the endometrial lining is made of blood, then isn't that blood already out of circulation? I always pictured the endometrial lining as an extracellular matrix of blood and other compounds.

If menstrual blood IS still part of the circulatory system, then when I menstruate are blood vessels .... breaking? If so, does that mean the blood vessels grow back each menstrual cycle?

2 eyes makes sense for depth-perception. 0 eyes also makes sense for animals in complete darkness to not waste energy on eyes. But what about the advantages of 5 eyes (insects), 8 eyes (spiders), & other eye numbers like 3 or 6 over simply 2 eyes?

I'm really interested in biology but I'm too old to enroll in university, however my interest is still very much alive. Can any of you, please, share titles of the textbooks you use in your university? The more the merrier. I'm interested in EVERY possible branch of biology.

I don’t know if this is an appropriate question for this subreddit, but I have a hard time finding any proper answer.

Did human brains always think other animals were cute, or did we evolve to think animals like dogs and cats are cute?

It would make sense, tribes that had pets were more likely to survive, so humans that thought animals were cute would be more likely to reproduce and pass on the genes that think cats are cute. This also brings in the question of if race effects what breeds of pets we find cute, like do people who originate from dry, hot places think shorter haired cats are more appealing?

I'm sure this question gets thrown around a lot here but none of the answers I've read so far have satisfied me. I understand animals reproduce because they have a primal instinct to make new generations, pass on their genes. But why? From an evolutionary perspective it's expensive to make children and provides absolutely no benefit to the individual

One argument I saw in a sub reddit was that animals that didn't have the instinct to reproduce don't exist today. Another dude said bigger numbers are beneficial, for instance a pack of 6 7 wolves as compared to just 2 3.

But even then it doesn't explain why animals that do it, do it. And as for the second argument I'd counter argue with the example of fishes that never care about their young once they lay eggs or the example of mayflies that die just 2 days into adulthood with their sole purpose of mating.

If we were talking about humans, at the very least we could say that certain people like kids and want to take on the responsibility to raise mini versions of themselves, but that ain't all true for other organisms.

So the question remains: Why do animals bother passing on their genes and establishing their presence in the world?

EDIT: Thanks a lot for your responses. I have a much clearer understanding now. People rightly pointed out that I mistakenly said it was expensive from an evolutionary perspective when in reality I was just thinking from the pov of an individual. But yea I think get it now

Hi everyone! I’m looking for advice from people who have been in a similar situation. I’m (22F) thinking about working towards a Biology A.S. and I’m trying to figure out the smartest way to finish school and get into a healthcare career without spending another 3–4+ years in school. I originally wanted to get into nursing school . I completed a lot of the prerequisites(microbio, physiology,anatomy,bio and chem,lifespan and pathophysiology), took the TEAS (71.4) applied to the nursing program but was rejected. I also looked into other nursing programs or trying for another round but the competitiveness and additional prerequisites have made me question if nursing is actually even worth it. At this point, I am too deep in this science/healthcare thing. I have completed about 54 credits!! So with the credits that I have I can easily transfer to a bio AS and graduate spring 2027, work towards a bachelors and add certifications alongside or keep trying to get into nursing school? Other healthcare programs like dental stuff/xray/respiratory therapist/mlt/sonography/surgical tech are all competitive and only offered in one or two community colleges and then they are either full until like a year or have 30 seats every semester.
At this point, I don't even know what I really want so might as well just get a degree and get it over with. I just wanna have a stable healthcare job with a reasonable salary that pays my bills.
Note: I’m also working almost 60-70hrs while going to school, so I need something that is realistically manageable with a work schedule. It's actually one of the reasons that make me feel so unmotivated to go to school. Basically the longer I stay in school, the longer I have to work extra hours to afford paying for it, because I'm responsible for all my bills.
What I am currently doing is completely unrelated to my major/field.

Is it like sperm where it is cells produced by the body, or is it a symbiotic relationship of 2 different organisms helping each other out? And also, if the latter is true, how do those extra bacteria get into the fetus of your child so it can stay in them for the rest of their life?

Hey everyone,

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how out of sync modern society feels with what our bodies and minds were built for. Hunter-gatherers lived in an environment and structure that shaped our species for hundreds of thousands of years (keeping in mind, of course, that evolution has no end goal or moral direction).

We obviously have modern medicine, tech, and safety today, but we’re also dealing with an epidemic of loneliness, chronic stress, sedentary habits, and a complete breakdown of close-knit communities.

I’d love to hear your take on this.

What do you see as the biggest flaws of modern society compared to that "original" human lifestyle?

Which specific aspects of today’s world do you think are doing the most damage to us mentally or physically?

Looking for honest, critical perspectives. Tell me what you genuinely think in your own words, no need for academic papers or textbook answers. Thanks!

Hi I was always wondering why making noise like cat meow is easy job for a me but figuring out how to growl like a full grown tiger is really hard thing. Does all untrained human have same difficualty with tiger growl or male with deep voice box would have a better chance? I assume it is a vocal cord and size&frequency thingie plus human evolved to talk/ tiger evolved to growl. I would love to know how it actually works!

I’ve always wondered about this. If I try to tickle myself, it doesn't really produce the same sensation as when someone else does it.
Is it because the brain can predict the sensation when we do it ourselves, or is there more biology behind it?

Just generally what makes a difference i mean we both have genes why can a doctor make a human who can use photosynthesis or vice versa why cant we make plants that can do anything for the animal kingdom like imagine if we could grow beef ect. And so on

first off I dont mean for this question to be inflammatory or sexist i promise this is a genuine question. also i don't really know anything about biology so please just kindly explain the answer or why my assumptions are wrong!

i see a lot of people saying that aggression shown by human males is purely caused by socialization and gender roles while at the same time the explanation for why other male animals are extremely aggressive is due to their hormonal differences between female animals. I know that testosterone in humans can act on the CNS and influence sexuality, but why does it allegedly not influence behaviors like aggression and sexual competition ? or does it?

I am not saying that anybody is a bad person due to their gender however the idea that testosterone makes humans more aggressive can be seen in stuff like "roid rage" and statistics regarding violent crime that show that 80+% of perpetrators are males

so what is the reason for the difference if there is one?

I heard they can eat anything literally anything. I work in an environment where i need to destroy a lot of documents but i want to become more eco friendly, would replacing my paper shredder (fellows 79Ci - 16 sheet shredder) with a large venus fly trap - or perhaps a pitcher plant. Wondering what the consensus is and whether this really is in the best interest of me and a plant