Found 132 Articles for Academic

Introduction The genetic makeup of every individual is determined by the genes expressed in the body. Every trait of the body, like the eye color, height, complexion, facial features etc., is inherited from the parents to the offspring as coded by the DNA. The DNA is tightly packed around the proteins forming a thread-like compact structure called chromosomes. Human beings consist of 22 pairs of autosomal chromosomes, meaning that the chromosomes in males or females remain the same regardless of the sex of the individual and one pair of sex chromosomes. Genes are the segment of DNA encoding a particular ... Read More

Introduction Food is an essential and inevitable part of every living being that provides living beings with nutrients for the proper functioning, life processes, energy, etc. One cannot sustain without food. Therefore, it is essential never to skip meals and consume all food components for optimal health, as most diseases stem from having inappropriate foods or skipping vital food components. Balanced diet It is vital to consume a diet containing all the essential nutrients that the body requires, i.e., carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre, called a balanced diet. These nutrients are present in the food we ... Read More

Introduction Plants are autotrophs, i.e., they can prepare their food through photosynthesis. Animals and humans are heterotrophs, i.e., depend on other organisms for their food. Food is vital for all living beings as it provides nutrients and energy to carry out the different life processes. Humans cultivate the land and produce various plant-based food items called crops. The large-scale cultivation of a particular plant is called a crop, for example, grains, vegetables, fruits etc. Types of Crops Our country produces different types of crops depending on its geographical settings and physio-chemical factors. Accordingly, there are two crops − Kharif (grown ... Read More

Introduction Regeneration refers to the process of growth, repair and restoration of damaged tissues and organs and epimorphosis is one of the processes of regeneration in an organism. What is Epimorphosis? Epimorphosis is the process of regeneration of a specific tissue or organ that is achieved through cell proliferation, dedifferentiation and reformation. It can also involve the formation of the blastema. Epimorphosis is a simple development model in which the development occurs at the site of injury of the tissue or organ and not the whole organism. It helps restore the organism's anatomical structure and restores the original polarity that ... Read More

Introduction Animals and plants are different from unicellular organisms in that they exhibit a higher level of organisation. The cells are organized to form tissues in animals and plants. The tissues are specialised in their origin, function and structure. In this tutorial, we will be learning about epithelial and connective tissue in animals. What is a Tissue? Tissue refers to a group of cells which exhibit similar origin, function and structure. In animals, there are four types of tissues present, and the structure of these tissues depends on their function. The types of tissues present in animals are ... Read More

Erythropoietin: Meaning Erythropoietin, also known as erythropoetin, haemopoietin or haematopoietin is a cytokine belonging to the glycoprotein hormones secreted by the kidneys to stimulate red blood cell production in the bone marrow in conditions of cellular hypoxia. The process by which red blood cells are produced is known as erythropoiesis.The erythropoietin is synthesised by the interstitial fibroblasts of the kidneys in association with the peritubular capillary bed and proximal convoluted tubule. The perisinusoidal cells of the liver also produce erythropoietin. Erythropoietin production is more by the liver during fetal and perinatal periods. On reaching adulthood, the production is predominantly done ... Read More

Introduction Personality traits, when deeply classified, can give rise to 4000 terms. But are our personalities written in our genes or is it entirely our environmental factors that affect our traits? Various studies conducted till now show that a personality of an individual is multifactorial - affected by numerous factors - they can genetically inherit it from parents or environmental factors can influence a trait. Between 1979 and 1999, they studied about 350 twins in the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart. The study included both identical (monozygotic) and non-identical (dizygotic or fraternal)twins. The study observed that heredity passed some ... Read More

Introduction During the 1940s when scientists found non-chromosomal DNA that’s responsible for antibody resistance, they called it by several names. Episomes, plasmagenes, plastogenes and bioblasts were some of the terms scientists called them. In 1952, Nobel laureate Joshua Lederberg was the first to coin the term ‘plasmid’ by combining cytoplasm and ‘id’. Plasmids are mostly found in bacteria and some eukaryotes (multicell organisms). What are Plasmids? Plasmids are circular, small DNA pieces present in bacteria that can replicate without the influence of chromosomal DNA. While the genome contains millions or even billions of DNA base pairs, plasmids contain only a ... Read More

DNA is a double-stranded structure found in eukaryotes (multi-cell organisms) whereas RNA (Ribonucleic acid) are single-stranded structure found in prokaryotes (single-cell organisms like bacteria). During transcription, the DNA is converted into RNA inside the nucleus of a cell. Once converted the messenger RNA (mRNA) comes out of the nucleus and the translation process starts in the cytoplasm of the cell to produce protein. If the DNA is considered the genetic code, it has to be read and understood to process those instructions to carry out how the cell and thereby the entire organism functions. This process of reading the genetic ... Read More

Introduction DNA is an extremely tiny structure that is closely packed inside every cell giving constant instructions on how to operate an individual’s body. Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) is the genetic molecule responsible for transmitting the characteristics of parents to children. Present inside the nucleus of the cell, DNA determines the structure, function and development of living beings. Most DNA is found encapsulated inside the cell nucleus called nuclear DNA while a comparatively lesser amount of it is present in the mitochondria of the cell called mitochondrial DNA. The genetic information is stored in the form of four nitrogenous bases – ... Read More