Biology

Plant terminology can be quite confusing, especially with words like gymnosperms and pteridophytes. The names don’t really convey any information about what they both refer to, at least for most people. What these two groups are, and the differences between…
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Edward Jenner was a scientist sometimes known as the Father of Immunology. Jenner’s biggest contribution to the world of immunology was his vaccine against smallpox. In the late 1700’s Jenner noticed that milkmaids did not contract smallpox, a deadly disease…
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Amaryllis belladonna is a native plant of South Africa that grows from an underground bulb. It is also known as a “Naked Lady” because the flower appears without any leaves when it blooms, thus being “naked.” The blooms are excellent…
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Germ Theory is the concept that microorganisms can cause disease, and this theory is the foundation of modern medicine. Here is a summary of some key discoveries. The refutation of spontaneous generation was essential in the development of Germ Theory;…
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Some of the early discoveries that led to today’s vaccines happened almost by chance. The astute observations of Edward Jenner and Louis Pasteur were the foundation of modern immunology. * Edward Jenner and the First Vaccine (1790s) * Edward Jenner’s…
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Germ Theory is the concept that microorganisms can cause disease, and this theory is the foundation of modern medicine. Here is a summary of some key discoveries. Key to the development of Germ Theory, and the understanding of infectious disease,…
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There are actually, well over 20,000 different species of Beetles found throughout the world. Beetles make up the insect segment, Coleoptera, which means in Greek, ‘sheath wings’. It refers to a beetle’s elytra, which form a sheath (a blanket) for…
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Sociobiology: Aggression Among Modern Humans The following will offer a sociobiological analysis of an article published by LiveScience entitled “The Evolution of Human Aggression.” It was written by writer/anthropologist Heather Whipps. Rather than simply present a summary of the article,…
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We know that the earth is full of life. What is difficult to say is how that life began on earth billions of years ago. There are a number of theories with no proof of anything specific. One such theory…
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A recent study by a team of researchers led by Holly Bik has found that the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill altered Gulf microbial communities, including species such as metazoan phyla, protists, algae, and fungi. These organisms are the basis…
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